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Pronunciation

How to pronounce “necessary”

“necessary” is pronounced /ˈnɛsəˌsɛɹi/ (NESS-uh-sair-ee) in American English and /ˈnɛsəsəri/ in British English — 4 syllables, stressed on “nec”.
The sound

Say “necessary” in 4 beats

Say it like this

necessary

/ˈnɛsəˌsɛɹi/

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

4 beats
  1. necnɛstress
  2. essə
  3. sarsɛ
  4. yɹi
IPA (American)
/ˈnɛsəˌsɛɹi/
IPA (British)
/ˈnɛsəsəri/
Respelling
NESS-uh-sair-ee
Syllables
4 — NEC-es-sar-y
Stress
Stress the first syllable: NEC-es-sar-y. “nec” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall 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

/ˈnɛsəˌsɛɹi/

British

/ˈnɛsəsəri/

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

Watch out

Where “necessary” goes wrong

  • Often heard

    “neh-SESS-ary”

    the stress is on the first syllable: NESS-uh-sair-ee

Meaning

What “necessary” means

  1. noun

    anything indispensable

    “food and shelter are necessities of life”

  2. adjective

    absolutely essential

  3. adjective

    unavoidably determined by prior circumstances

    “the necessary consequences of one's actions”

Say it in a sentence

“Bring a warm coat; it will be necessary after the sun sets.”
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

6 sounds, in the order you say them
nnɛshort e×2ss×2əschwaɹrilong e

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

Questions

“necessary”, answered

How do you pronounce “necessary”?

“necessary” is pronounced /ˈnɛsəˌsɛɹi/ (NESS-uh-sair-ee) in American English and /ˈnɛsəsəri/ in British English — 4 syllables, stressed on “nec”. Build it as NEC-es-sar-y, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “necessary” have?

4: nec · es · sar · y. The beat lands on the first, “nec”.

Is “necessary” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈnɛsəˌsɛɹi/ (NESS-uh-sair-ee); British English says /ˈnɛsəsəri/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “necessary” mean?

As a noun: anything indispensable For example: “food and shelter are necessities of life” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “necessary”?

Stress the first syllable: NEC-es-sar-y. “nec” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “necessary” and see every sound

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