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Pronunciation

How to pronounce “minister”

“minister” is pronounced /ˈmɪnəstɚ/ (MI-nuh-stuh) in American English and /mɪnɪstə/ in British English, and /ˈmɪnɪstɚ/ is also accepted — 3 syllables, stressed on “min”.
The sound

Say “minister” in 3 beats

Say it like this

minister

/ˈmɪnəstɚ/

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

3 beats
  1. minmɪstress
  2. isnə
  3. terstɚ
IPA (American)
/ˈmɪnəstɚ/
IPA (British)
/mɪnɪstə/
Also accepted
/ˈmɪnɪstɚ/
Respelling
MI-nuh-stuh
Syllables
3 — MIN-is-ter
Stress
Stress the first syllable: MIN-is-ter. “min” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Part of speech
noun, verb
Difficulty
Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˈmɪnəstɚ/

British

/mɪnɪstə/

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

Meaning

What “minister” means

  1. noun

    a person authorized to conduct religious worship

    “clergymen are usually called ministers in Protestant churches”

  2. noun

    a person appointed to a high office in the government

    “Minister of Finance”

  3. noun

    a diplomat representing one government to another; ranks below ambassador

Say it in a sentence

“The minister opened the new hospital wing on Tuesday.”
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

6 sounds, in the order you say them
mmɪshort innəschwa×2sstt

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

Questions

“minister”, answered

How do you pronounce “minister”?

“minister” is pronounced /ˈmɪnəstɚ/ (MI-nuh-stuh) in American English and /mɪnɪstə/ in British English, and /ˈmɪnɪstɚ/ is also accepted — 3 syllables, stressed on “min”. Build it as MIN-is-ter, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “minister” have?

3: min · is · ter. The beat lands on the first, “min”.

Is “minister” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈmɪnəstɚ/ (MI-nuh-stuh); British English says /mɪnɪstə/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “minister” mean?

As a noun: a person authorized to conduct religious worship For example: “clergymen are usually called ministers in Protestant churches” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “minister”?

Stress the first syllable: MIN-is-ter. “min” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “minister” and see every sound

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