Pronunciation

How to pronounce “outstanding

“outstanding” is pronounced /ˌaʊtˈstændɪŋ/ (owt-STAN-ding) in American English and /aʊtstandɪŋ/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “tan”.
The sound

Say “outstanding” in 3 beats

Say it like this

outstanding

/ˌaʊtˈstændɪŋ/

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

3 beats
  1. outsaʊt
  2. tanstænstress
  3. dingdɪŋ
IPA (American)
/ˌaʊtˈstændɪŋ/
IPA (British)
/aʊtstandɪŋ/
Respelling
owt-STAN-ding
Syllables
3 — outs-TAN-ding
Stress
Stress the second syllable: outs-TAN-ding. “tan” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Part of speech
adjective
Difficulty
Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˌaʊtˈstændɪŋ/

British

/aʊtstandɪŋ/

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

Meaning

What “outstanding” means

  1. adjective

    distinguished from others in excellence

    did outstanding work in human relations

  2. adjective

    having a quality that thrusts itself into attention

    an outstanding fact of our time is that nations poisoned by anti semitism proved less fortunate in regard to their own freedom

  3. adjective

    owed as a debt

    outstanding bills

Say it in a sentence

The outstanding balance must be cleared before the renewal.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

8 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

outstanding”, answered

How do you pronounce “outstanding”?

“outstanding” is pronounced /ˌaʊtˈstændɪŋ/ (owt-STAN-ding) in American English and /aʊtstandɪŋ/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “tan”. Build it as outs-TAN-ding, then run the second syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “outstanding” have?

3: outs · tan · ding. The beat lands on the second, “tan”.

Is “outstanding” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˌaʊtˈstændɪŋ/ (owt-STAN-ding); British English says /aʊtstandɪŋ/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “outstanding” mean?

As an adjective: distinguished from others in excellence For example: “did outstanding work in human relations” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “outstanding”?

Stress the second syllable: outs-TAN-ding. “tan” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “outstanding” 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.