Pronunciation

How to pronounce “influence

“influence” is pronounced /ˈɪnfluəns/ (IN-floo-uhns) in American English and /ˈɪnflʊəns/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “inf”.
The sound

Say “influence” in 3 beats

Say it like this

influence

/ˈɪnfluəns/

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

3 beats
  1. infɪnstress
  2. luenflu
  3. ceəns
IPA (American)
/ˈɪnfluəns/
IPA (British)
/ˈɪnflʊəns/
Respelling
IN-floo-uhns
Syllables
3 — INF-luen-ce
Stress
Stress the first syllable: INF-luen-ce. “inf” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Part of speech
noun, verb
Difficulty
Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˈɪnfluəns/

British

/ˈɪnflʊəns/

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

Watch out

Where “influence” goes wrong

  • Often heard

    in-FLOO-ence

    the stress is on the first syllable in both the noun and the verb

Meaning

What “influence” means

  1. noun

    a power to affect persons or events especially power based on prestige etc

    used her parents' influence to get the job

  2. noun

    causing something without any direct or apparent effort

  3. noun

    a cognitive factor that tends to have an effect on what you do

    her wishes had a great influence on his thinking

Say it in a sentence

Her teacher had a lasting influence on the way she writes.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

7 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

influence”, answered

How do you pronounce “influence”?

“influence” is pronounced /ˈɪnfluəns/ (IN-floo-uhns) in American English and /ˈɪnflʊəns/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “inf”. Build it as INF-luen-ce, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “influence” have?

3: inf · luen · ce. The beat lands on the first, “inf”.

Is “influence” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈɪnfluəns/ (IN-floo-uhns); British English says /ˈɪnflʊəns/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “influence” mean?

As a noun: a power to affect persons or events especially power based on prestige etc For example: “used her parents' influence to get the job” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “influence”?

Stress the first syllable: INF-luen-ce. “inf” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “influence” 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.