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Pronunciation

How to pronounce “grievance”

“grievance” is pronounced /ˈɡɹivəns/ (GREE-vuhns) in American English and /ɡɹiːvəns/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “ɡɹi”.
The sound

Say “grievance” in 2 beats

Say it like this

grievance

/ˈɡɹivəns/

The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /ɡɹiːvəns/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.

2 beats
  1. ɡɹiɡɹistress
  2. vənsvəns
IPA (American)
/ˈɡɹivəns/
IPA (British)
/ɡɹiːvəns/
Respelling
GREE-vuhns
Syllables
2 — ꞬɹI-vəns
Stress
Stress the first syllable: ꞬɹI-vəns. “ɡɹi” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Part of speech
noun
Difficulty
Pro — the sounds are ordinary, the rhythm is where it slips
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˈɡɹivəns/

British

/ɡɹiːvəns/

No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.

Meaning

What “grievance” means

  1. noun

    a resentment strong enough to justify retaliation

    “holding a grudge”

  2. noun

    an allegation that something imposes an illegal obligation or denies some legal right or causes injustice

  3. noun

    a complaint about a (real or imaginary) wrong that causes resentment and is grounds for action

Say it in a sentence

“A formal grievance was raised and settled within a fortnight.”
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

7 sounds, in the order you say them
ɡgɹrilong evvəschwannss

Each sound has its own page: where the tongue goes, what it is usually confused with, and words to drill it on.

Questions

“grievance”, answered

How do you pronounce “grievance”?

“grievance” is pronounced /ˈɡɹivəns/ (GREE-vuhns) in American English and /ɡɹiːvəns/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “ɡɹi”. Build it as ꞬɹI-vəns, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “grievance” have?

2: ɡɹi · vəns. The beat lands on the first, “ɡɹi”.

Is “grievance” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈɡɹivəns/ (GREE-vuhns); British English says /ɡɹiːvəns/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “grievance” mean?

As a noun: a resentment strong enough to justify retaliation For example: “holding a grudge” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “grievance”?

Stress the first syllable: ꞬɹI-vəns. “ɡɹi” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.

Practise this word

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