Pronunciation

How to pronounce “improvement

“improvement” is pronounced /ˌɪmˈpɹuvmənt/ (im-PROOV-muhnt) in American English and /ɪmpɹuːvmənt/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “pɹuv”.
The sound

Say “improvement” in 3 beats

Say it like this

improvement

/ˌɪmˈpɹuvmənt/

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

3 beats
  1. ɪmɪm
  2. pɹuvpɹuvstress
  3. məntmənt
IPA (American)
/ˌɪmˈpɹuvmənt/
IPA (British)
/ɪmpɹuːvmənt/
Respelling
im-PROOV-muhnt
Syllables
3 — ɪm-PɹUV-mənt
Stress
Stress the second syllable: ɪm-PɹUV-mənt. “pɹuv” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall 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

/ˌɪmˈpɹuvmənt/

British

/ɪmpɹuːvmənt/

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

Meaning

What “improvement” means

  1. noun

    a change for the better; progress in development

  2. noun

    the act of improving something

    their improvements increased the value of the property

  3. noun

    a condition superior to an earlier condition

    the new school represents a great improvement

Say it in a sentence

There has been a steady improvement in air quality since 2019.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

9 sounds, in the order you say them

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

Questions

improvement”, answered

How do you pronounce “improvement”?

“improvement” is pronounced /ˌɪmˈpɹuvmənt/ (im-PROOV-muhnt) in American English and /ɪmpɹuːvmənt/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “pɹuv”. Build it as ɪm-PɹUV-mənt, then run the second syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “improvement” have?

3: ɪm · pɹuv · mənt. The beat lands on the second, “pɹuv”.

Is “improvement” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˌɪmˈpɹuvmənt/ (im-PROOV-muhnt); British English says /ɪmpɹuːvmənt/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “improvement” mean?

As a noun: a change for the better; progress in development For example: “There has been a steady improvement in air quality since 2019.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “improvement”?

Stress the second syllable: ɪm-PɹUV-mənt. “pɹuv” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “improvement” and see every sound

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