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Pronunciation

How to pronounce “ministry”

“ministry” is pronounced /ˈmɪnəstɹi/ (MI-nuh-stree) in American English and /mɪnɪstɹi/ in British English, and /ˈmɪnɪstɹi/ is also accepted — 3 syllables, stressed on “min”.
The sound

Say “ministry” in 3 beats

Say it like this

ministry

/ˈmɪnəstɹi/

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

3 beats
  1. minmɪstress
  2. istnə
  3. rystɹi
IPA (American)
/ˈmɪnəstɹi/
IPA (British)
/mɪnɪstɹi/
Also accepted
/ˈmɪnɪstɹi/
Respelling
MI-nuh-stree
Syllables
3 — MIN-ist-ry
Stress
Stress the first syllable: MIN-ist-ry. “min” 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

/ˈmɪnəstɹi/

British

/mɪnɪstɹi/

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

Meaning

What “ministry” means

  1. noun

    religious ministers collectively (especially Presbyterian)

  2. noun

    building where the business of a government department is transacted

  3. noun

    a government department under the direction of a minister

Say it in a sentence

“He left the ministry and now runs a small bookshop.”
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

8 sounds, in the order you say them
mmɪshort innəschwassttɹrilong e

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

Questions

“ministry”, answered

How do you pronounce “ministry”?

“ministry” is pronounced /ˈmɪnəstɹi/ (MI-nuh-stree) in American English and /mɪnɪstɹi/ in British English, and /ˈmɪnɪstɹi/ is also accepted — 3 syllables, stressed on “min”. Build it as MIN-ist-ry, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “ministry” have?

3: min · ist · ry. The beat lands on the first, “min”.

Is “ministry” said differently in British English?

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

What does “ministry” mean?

As a noun: religious ministers collectively (especially Presbyterian) For example: “He left the ministry and now runs a small bookshop.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “ministry”?

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

Practise this word

Now say “ministry” and see every sound

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