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Pronunciation

How to pronounce “maintenance”

“maintenance” is pronounced /ˈmeɪntənəns/ (MAYN-tuh-nuhns) in American English and /meɪntənəns/ in British English, and /ˈmeɪntnəns/ is also accepted — 3 syllables, stressed on “meɪn”.
The sound

Say “maintenance” in 3 beats

Say it like this

maintenance

/ˈmeɪntənəns/

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

3 beats
  1. meɪnmeɪnstress
  2. tətə
  3. nənsnəns
IPA (American)
/ˈmeɪntənəns/
IPA (British)
/meɪntənəns/
Also accepted
/ˈmeɪntnəns/
Respelling
MAYN-tuh-nuhns
Syllables
3 — MEꞮN-tə-nəns
Stress
Stress the first syllable: MEꞮN-tə-nəns. “meɪn” 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

/ˈmeɪntənəns/

British

/meɪntənəns/

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

Meaning

What “maintenance” means

  1. noun

    activity involved in maintaining something in good working order

    “he wrote the manual on car care”

  2. noun

    means of maintenance of a family or group

  3. noun

    court-ordered support paid by one spouse to another after they are separated

Say it in a sentence

“Maintenance on the lift is booked for next Tuesday.”
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

6 sounds, in the order you say them
mmeɪlong ann×3ttəschwa×2ss

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

Questions

“maintenance”, answered

How do you pronounce “maintenance”?

“maintenance” is pronounced /ˈmeɪntənəns/ (MAYN-tuh-nuhns) in American English and /meɪntənəns/ in British English, and /ˈmeɪntnəns/ is also accepted — 3 syllables, stressed on “meɪn”. Build it as MEꞮN-tə-nəns, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “maintenance” have?

3: meɪn · tə · nəns. The beat lands on the first, “meɪn”.

Is “maintenance” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈmeɪntənəns/ (MAYN-tuh-nuhns); British English says /meɪntənəns/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “maintenance” mean?

As a noun: activity involved in maintaining something in good working order For example: “he wrote the manual on car care” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “maintenance”?

Stress the first syllable: MEꞮN-tə-nəns. “meɪn” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “maintenance” and see every sound

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