Pronunciation

How to pronounce “modern

“modern” is pronounced /ˈmɑdɚn/ (MAH-duhn) in American English and /mɒdən/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “mod”.
The sound

Say “modern” in 2 beats

Say it like this

modern

/ˈmɑdɚn/

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

2 beats
  1. modstress
  2. erndɚn
IPA (American)
/ˈmɑdɚn/
IPA (British)
/mɒdən/
Respelling
MAH-duhn
Syllables
2 — MOD-ern
Stress
Stress the first syllable: MOD-ern. “mod” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Part of speech
noun, adjective
Difficulty
Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˈmɑdɚn/

British

/mɒdən/

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

Meaning

What “modern” means

  1. noun

    a contemporary person

  2. noun

    a typeface (based on an 18th century design by Gianbattista Bodoni) distinguished by regular shape and hairline serifs and heavy downstrokes

  3. adjective

    belonging to the modern era; since the Middle Ages

    modern art

Say it in a sentence

The house combines old stone walls with modern windows.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

5 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

modern”, answered

How do you pronounce “modern”?

“modern” is pronounced /ˈmɑdɚn/ (MAH-duhn) in American English and /mɒdən/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “mod”. Build it as MOD-ern, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “modern” have?

2: mod · ern. The beat lands on the first, “mod”.

Is “modern” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈmɑdɚn/ (MAH-duhn); British English says /mɒdən/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “modern” mean?

As a noun: a contemporary person For example: “The house combines old stone walls with modern windows.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “modern”?

Stress the first syllable: MOD-ern. “mod” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “modern” 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.