How to pronounce “import”
“import” is said two ways
/ˈɪmˌpɔɹt/
IM-port
The goods brought in, or the significance of something. Beat on IM.
/ˌɪmˈpɔɹt/
im-PORT
To bring in from abroad. Beat on PORT.
Listen for the beat, not the letters
One syllable gets longer, louder and a step higher, and the other one collapses towards a schwa. Say the whole sentence rather than the word on its own and let the grammar pull the beat where it belongs.Both forms live in one sentence here: “They import the beans in bulk, and every import is inspected.”Each button plays a short phrase rather than the bare word: the model voice takes its stress from the words around it, so asking it for “import” on its own would play one reading twice instead of the noun and the verb. Read the transcription as you listen.
Say “import” in 2 beats
import
/ˈɪmˌpɔɹt/
Everything in this card describes the noun form. As a verb it is /ˌɪmˈpɔɹt/.
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /ˈɪmpɔːt/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- imɪm
- portpɔɹtstress
- IPA (American)
- /ˈɪmˌpɔɹt/
- IPA (British)
- /ˈɪmpɔːt/
- Respelling
- IM-port (noun) · im-PORT (verb)
- Syllables
- 2 — im-PORT
- Stress
- Stress the second syllable: im-PORT. “port” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
- Part of speech
- noun, verb
- Difficulty
- Pro — the sounds are ordinary, the rhythm is where it slips
American and British are not the same here
This is the noun form in two accents — a separate question from the two pronunciations above, which are the same accent saying two different words.
/ˈɪmˌpɔɹt/
/ˈɪmpɔːt/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
Where “import” goes wrong
- Often heard
“an IM-port licence said as im-PORT”
the noun front-stresses; the act of bringing in is im-PORT
What “import” means
- noun
commodities (goods or services) bought from a foreign country
- noun
an imported person brought from a foreign country
“the lead role was played by an import from Sweden”
- noun
the message that is intended or expressed or signified
“what is the meaning of this sentence”
Say it in a sentence
“They import the beans in bulk, and every import is inspected.”“import”, answered
How do you pronounce “import”?
“import” has two pronunciations: /ˈɪmˌpɔɹt/ as a noun and /ˌɪmˈpɔɹt/ as a verb — the part of speech decides which. The spelling never changes; the beat does, and the vowels reshape around wherever it lands. The transcription and syllable breakdown below describe the noun form. Build it as im-PORT, then run the second syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.
How many syllables does “import” have?
2: im · port. The beat lands on the second, “port”. Read letter by letter it looks like 3 (an IM-port licence said as im-PORT), and that careful version is not wrong — but ordinary speech runs it to 2.
Which pronunciation of “import” is correct?
Both are. /ˈɪmˌpɔɹt/ (IM-port) as a noun; /ˌɪmˈpɔɹt/ (im-PORT) as a verb. Nothing about the spelling tells you which — the sentence does. Move the beat and the word changes its job mid-sentence, which is why both are worth drilling. Both appear here: “They import the beans in bulk, and every import is inspected.”
Is “import” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /ˈɪmˌpɔɹt/ (IM-port); British English says /ˈɪmpɔːt/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “import” mean?
As a noun: commodities (goods or services) bought from a foreign country For example: “They import the beans in bulk, and every import is inspected.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.
Where is the stress in “import”?
Stress the second syllable: im-PORT. “port” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Now say “import” 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.