Pronunciation

How to pronounce “investment

“investment” is pronounced /ˌɪnˈvɛstmənt/ (in-VEST-muhnt) in American English and /ɪnvɛstmənt/ in British English, and /ˌɪnˈvɛsmənt/ is also accepted — 3 syllables, stressed on “vest”.
The sound

Say “investment” in 3 beats

Say it like this

investment

/ˌɪnˈvɛstmənt/

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

3 beats
  1. inɪn
  2. vestvɛststress
  3. mentmənt
IPA (American)
/ˌɪnˈvɛstmənt/
IPA (British)
/ɪnvɛstmənt/
Also accepted
/ˌɪnˈvɛsmənt/
Respelling
in-VEST-muhnt
Syllables
3 — in-VEST-ment
Stress
Stress the second syllable: in-VEST-ment. “vest” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Part of speech
noun
Difficulty
Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˌɪnˈvɛstmənt/

British

/ɪnvɛstmənt/

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

Meaning

What “investment” means

  1. noun

    the act of investing; laying out money or capital in an enterprise with the expectation of profit

  2. noun

    money that is invested with an expectation of profit

  3. noun

    the commitment of something other than money (time, energy, or effort) to a project with the expectation of some worthwhile result

    this job calls for the investment of some hard thinking

Say it in a sentence

The investment will take about six years to pay for itself.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

8 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

investment”, answered

How do you pronounce “investment”?

“investment” is pronounced /ˌɪnˈvɛstmənt/ (in-VEST-muhnt) in American English and /ɪnvɛstmənt/ in British English, and /ˌɪnˈvɛsmənt/ is also accepted — 3 syllables, stressed on “vest”. Build it as in-VEST-ment, then run the second syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “investment” have?

3: in · vest · ment. The beat lands on the second, “vest”.

Is “investment” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˌɪnˈvɛstmənt/ (in-VEST-muhnt); British English says /ɪnvɛstmənt/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “investment” mean?

As a noun: the act of investing; laying out money or capital in an enterprise with the expectation of profit For example: “The investment will take about six years to pay for itself.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “investment”?

Stress the second syllable: in-VEST-ment. “vest” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “investment” 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.