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Pronunciation

How to pronounce “licence”

“licence” is pronounced /ˈlaɪsəns/ (LY-suhns) in American English and /laɪsəns/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “laɪ”.
The sound

Say “licence” in 2 beats

Say it like this

licence

/ˈlaɪsəns/

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

2 beats
  1. laɪlaɪstress
  2. sənssəns
IPA (American)
/ˈlaɪsəns/
IPA (British)
/laɪsəns/
Respelling
LY-suhns
Syllables
2 — LAꞮ-səns
Stress
Stress the first syllable: LAꞮ-səns. “laɪ” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Part of speech
noun, verb
Difficulty
Pro — the sounds are ordinary, the rhythm is where it slips
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˈlaɪsəns/

British

/laɪsəns/

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

Meaning

What “licence” means

  1. noun

    excessive freedom; lack of due restraint; - Will Durant; - Edmund Burke

    “when liberty becomes license dictatorship is near”

  2. noun

    freedom to deviate deliberately from normally applicable rules or practices (especially in behavior or speech)

  3. noun

    a legal document giving official permission to do something

Say it in a sentence

“The licence for the hall runs out at midnight.”
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

5 sounds, in the order you say them
llaɪlong iss×2əschwann

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

Questions

“licence”, answered

How do you pronounce “licence”?

“licence” is pronounced /ˈlaɪsəns/ (LY-suhns) in American English and /laɪsəns/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “laɪ”. Build it as LAꞮ-səns, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “licence” have?

2: laɪ · səns. The beat lands on the first, “laɪ”.

Is “licence” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈlaɪsəns/ (LY-suhns); British English says /laɪsəns/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “licence” mean?

As a noun: excessive freedom; lack of due restraint; - Will Durant; - Edmund Burke For example: “when liberty becomes license dictatorship is near” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “licence”?

Stress the first syllable: LAꞮ-səns. “laɪ” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.

Practise this word

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