Pronunciation

How to pronounce “language

“language” is pronounced /ˈlæŋɡwədʒ/ (LANG-gwuhj) in American English and /laŋɡwɪdʒ/ in British English, and /ˈlæŋɡwɪdʒ/ is also accepted — 2 syllables, stressed on “læŋ”.
The sound

Say “language” in 2 beats

Say it like this

language

/ˈlæŋɡwədʒ/

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

2 beats
  1. læŋlæŋstress
  2. ɡwədʒɡwədʒ
IPA (American)
/ˈlæŋɡwədʒ/
IPA (British)
/laŋɡwɪdʒ/
Also accepted
/ˈlæŋɡwɪdʒ/
Respelling
LANG-gwuhj
Syllables
2 — LÆŊ-ɡwədʒ
Stress
Stress the first syllable: LÆŊ-ɡwədʒ. “læŋ” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls 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

/ˈlæŋɡwədʒ/

British

/laŋɡwɪdʒ/

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

Meaning

What “language” means

  1. noun

    a systematic means of communicating by the use of sounds or conventional symbols

    he taught foreign languages

  2. noun

    (language) communication by word of mouth

    his speech was garbled

  3. noun

    the text of a popular song or musical-comedy number

    his compositions always started with the lyrics

Say it in a sentence

She picked up the language quickly after moving abroad.
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

language”, answered

How do you pronounce “language”?

“language” is pronounced /ˈlæŋɡwədʒ/ (LANG-gwuhj) in American English and /laŋɡwɪdʒ/ in British English, and /ˈlæŋɡwɪdʒ/ is also accepted — 2 syllables, stressed on “læŋ”. Build it as LÆŊ-ɡwədʒ, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “language” have?

2: læŋ · ɡwədʒ. The beat lands on the first, “læŋ”.

Is “language” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈlæŋɡwədʒ/ (LANG-gwuhj); British English says /laŋɡwɪdʒ/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “language” mean?

As a noun: a systematic means of communicating by the use of sounds or conventional symbols For example: “he taught foreign languages” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “language”?

Stress the first syllable: LÆŊ-ɡwədʒ. “læŋ” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “language” 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.