How to pronounce “however”
Say “however” in 3 beats
however
/ˌhaʊˈɛvɚ/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /haʊɛvə/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- howhaʊ
- evɛstress
- ervɚ
- IPA (American)
- /ˌhaʊˈɛvɚ/
- IPA (British)
- /haʊɛvə/
- Respelling
- how-E-vuh
- Syllables
- 3 — how-EV-er
- Stress
- Stress the second syllable: how-EV-er. “ev” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
- Part of speech
- adverb
- Difficulty
- Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
American and British are not the same here
/ˌhaʊˈɛvɚ/
/haʊɛvə/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
What “however” means
- adverb
despite anything to the contrary (usually following a concession)
“although I'm a little afraid, however I'd like to try it”
- adverb
by contrast; on the other hand
“the first part was easy; the second, however, took hours”
- adverb
to whatever degree or extent
“The results, however general, are important”
Say it in a sentence
“The weather was cold; however, the hike was still enjoyable.”“however”, answered
How do you pronounce “however”?
“however” is pronounced /ˌhaʊˈɛvɚ/ (how-E-vuh) in American English and /haʊɛvə/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “ev”. Build it as how-EV-er, then run the second syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.
How many syllables does “however” have?
3: how · ev · er. The beat lands on the second, “ev”.
Is “however” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /ˌhaʊˈɛvɚ/ (how-E-vuh); British English says /haʊɛvə/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “however” mean?
As an adverb: despite anything to the contrary (usually following a concession) For example: “although I'm a little afraid, however I'd like to try it” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.
Where is the stress in “however”?
Stress the second syllable: how-EV-er. “ev” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Now say “however” and see every sound
Record it once and sayit lines your audio up against the target sound by sound — what landed, what slipped, and what it sounded like instead.