Pronunciation

How to pronounce “negligence

“negligence” is pronounced /ˈnɛɡlədʒəns/ (NE-gluh-juhns) in American English and /nɛɡlɪdʒəns/ in British English, and /ˈnɛɡlɪdʒəns/ is also accepted — 3 syllables, stressed on “nɛ”.
The sound

Say “negligence” in 3 beats

Say it like this

negligence

/ˈnɛɡlədʒəns/

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

3 beats
  1. stress
  2. ɡləɡlə
  3. dʒənsdʒəns
IPA (American)
/ˈnɛɡlədʒəns/
IPA (British)
/nɛɡlɪdʒəns/
Also accepted
/ˈnɛɡlɪdʒəns/
Respelling
NE-gluh-juhns
Syllables
3 — NƐ-ɡlə-dʒəns
Stress
Stress the first syllable: NƐ-ɡlə-dʒəns. “nɛ” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Part of speech
noun
Difficulty
Pro — the sounds are ordinary, the rhythm is where it slips
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˈnɛɡlədʒəns/

British

/nɛɡlɪdʒəns/

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

Meaning

What “negligence” means

  1. noun

    failure to act with the prudence that a reasonable person would exercise under the same circumstances

  2. noun

    the trait of neglecting responsibilities and lacking concern

Say it in a sentence

The court found no negligence on the part of the driver.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

7 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

negligence”, answered

How do you pronounce “negligence”?

“negligence” is pronounced /ˈnɛɡlədʒəns/ (NE-gluh-juhns) in American English and /nɛɡlɪdʒəns/ in British English, and /ˈnɛɡlɪdʒəns/ is also accepted — 3 syllables, stressed on “nɛ”. Build it as NƐ-ɡlə-dʒəns, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “negligence” have?

3: nɛ · ɡlə · dʒəns. The beat lands on the first, “nɛ”.

Is “negligence” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈnɛɡlədʒəns/ (NE-gluh-juhns); British English says /nɛɡlɪdʒəns/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “negligence” mean?

As a noun: failure to act with the prudence that a reasonable person would exercise under the same circumstances For example: “The court found no negligence on the part of the driver.” It carries 1 other sense as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “negligence”?

Stress the first syllable: NƐ-ɡlə-dʒəns. “nɛ” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “negligence” and see every sound

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