How to pronounce “never”
Say “never” in 2 beats
never
/ˈnɛvɚ/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /nɛvə/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- nevnɛstress
- ervɚ
- IPA (American)
- /ˈnɛvɚ/
- IPA (British)
- /nɛvə/
- Respelling
- NE-vuh
- Syllables
- 2 — NEV-er
- Stress
- Stress the first syllable: NEV-er. “nev” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
- Part of speech
- adverb
- Difficulty
- Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
American and British are not the same here
/ˈnɛvɚ/
/nɛvə/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
What “never” means
- adverb
not ever; at no time in the past or future
“I have never been to China”
- adverb
not at all; certainly not; not in any circumstances
“never fear”
Say it in a sentence
“He had never seen snow before that winter in Canada.”“never”, answered
How do you pronounce “never”?
“never” is pronounced /ˈnɛvɚ/ (NE-vuh) in American English and /nɛvə/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “nev”. Build it as NEV-er, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.
How many syllables does “never” have?
2: nev · er. The beat lands on the first, “nev”.
Is “never” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /ˈnɛvɚ/ (NE-vuh); British English says /nɛvə/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “never” mean?
As an adverb: not ever; at no time in the past or future For example: “I have never been to China” It carries 1 other sense as well — all of them said the same way.
Where is the stress in “never”?
Stress the first syllable: NEV-er. “nev” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Now say “never” 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.