Pronunciation

How to pronounce “offset

“offset” is pronounced /ɔfˈsɛt/ (awf-SET) in American English and /ɒfsɛt/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “set”.
The sound

Say “offset” in 2 beats

Say it like this

offset

/ɔfˈsɛt/

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

2 beats
  1. offɔf
  2. setsɛtstress
IPA (American)
/ɔfˈsɛt/
IPA (British)
/ɒfsɛt/
Respelling
awf-SET
Syllables
2 — off-SET
Stress
Stress the second syllable: off-SET. “set” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Part of speech
noun, verb
Difficulty
Pro — the sounds are ordinary, the rhythm is where it slips
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ɔfˈsɛt/

British

/ɒfsɛt/

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

Meaning

What “offset” means

  1. noun

    the time at which something is supposed to begin

    they got an early start

  2. noun

    a compensating equivalent

  3. noun

    a horizontal branch from the base of plant that produces new plants from buds at its tips

Say it in a sentence

A good harvest should offset the cost of the new fence.
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

offset”, answered

How do you pronounce “offset”?

“offset” is pronounced /ɔfˈsɛt/ (awf-SET) in American English and /ɒfsɛt/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “set”. Build it as off-SET, then run the second syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “offset” have?

2: off · set. The beat lands on the second, “set”.

Is “offset” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ɔfˈsɛt/ (awf-SET); British English says /ɒfsɛt/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “offset” mean?

As a noun: the time at which something is supposed to begin For example: “they got an early start” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “offset”?

Stress the second syllable: off-SET. “set” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “offset” 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.