Pronunciation

How to pronounce “leadership

“leadership” is pronounced /ˈlidɚˌʃɪp/ (LEE-duh-ship) in American English and /liːdəʃɪp/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “lead”.
The sound

Say “leadership” in 3 beats

Say it like this

leadership

/ˈlidɚˌʃɪp/

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

3 beats
  1. leadlistress
  2. ers
  3. hipʃɪp
IPA (American)
/ˈlidɚˌʃɪp/
IPA (British)
/liːdəʃɪp/
Respelling
LEE-duh-ship
Syllables
3 — LEAD-ers-hip
Stress
Stress the first syllable: LEAD-ers-hip. “lead” 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

/ˈlidɚˌʃɪp/

British

/liːdəʃɪp/

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

Meaning

What “leadership” means

  1. noun

    the activity of leading

    his leadership inspired the team

  2. noun

    the body of people who lead a group

    the national leadership adopted his plan

  3. noun

    the status of a leader

    they challenged his leadership of the union

Say it in a sentence

Her leadership during the flood is still talked about locally.
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

leadership”, answered

How do you pronounce “leadership”?

“leadership” is pronounced /ˈlidɚˌʃɪp/ (LEE-duh-ship) in American English and /liːdəʃɪp/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “lead”. Build it as LEAD-ers-hip, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “leadership” have?

3: lead · ers · hip. The beat lands on the first, “lead”.

Is “leadership” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈlidɚˌʃɪp/ (LEE-duh-ship); British English says /liːdəʃɪp/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “leadership” mean?

As a noun: the activity of leading For example: “his leadership inspired the team” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “leadership”?

Stress the first syllable: LEAD-ers-hip. “lead” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “leadership” 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.