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Pronunciation

How to pronounce “impromptu”

“impromptu” is pronounced /ˌɪmˈpɹɑmptu/ (im-PRAHMP-too) in American English and /ɪmpɹɒmptuː/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “romp”.
The sound

Say “impromptu” in 3 beats

Say it like this

impromptu

/ˌɪmˈpɹɑmptu/

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

3 beats
  1. impɪm
  2. romppɹɑmpstress
  3. tutu
IPA (American)
/ˌɪmˈpɹɑmptu/
IPA (British)
/ɪmpɹɒmptuː/
Respelling
im-PRAHMP-too
Syllables
3 — imp-ROMP-tu
Stress
Stress the second syllable: imp-ROMP-tu. “romp” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Part of speech
noun, adjective, adverb
Difficulty
Pro — the sounds are ordinary, the rhythm is where it slips
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˌɪmˈpɹɑmptu/

British

/ɪmpɹɒmptuː/

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

Meaning

What “impromptu” means

  1. noun

    an extemporaneous speech or remark

    “a witty impromptu must not sound premeditated”

  2. noun

    a short musical passage that seems to have been made spontaneously without advance preparation

  3. adjective

    with little or no preparation or forethought

    “his ad-lib comments showed poor judgment”

Say it in a sentence

“He gave a short impromptu at the piano after dinner.”
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

7 sounds, in the order you say them
ɪshort imm×2pp×2ɹrɑahttulong oo

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

Questions

“impromptu”, answered

How do you pronounce “impromptu”?

“impromptu” is pronounced /ˌɪmˈpɹɑmptu/ (im-PRAHMP-too) in American English and /ɪmpɹɒmptuː/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “romp”. Build it as imp-ROMP-tu, then run the second syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “impromptu” have?

3: imp · romp · tu. The beat lands on the second, “romp”.

Is “impromptu” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˌɪmˈpɹɑmptu/ (im-PRAHMP-too); British English says /ɪmpɹɒmptuː/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “impromptu” mean?

As a noun: an extemporaneous speech or remark For example: “a witty impromptu must not sound premeditated” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “impromptu”?

Stress the second syllable: imp-ROMP-tu. “romp” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

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