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Pronunciation

How to pronounce “overseas”

“overseas” is pronounced /ˈoʊvɚˈsiz/ (OH-vuh-seez) in American English and /əʊvəsiːz/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “ov”.
The sound

Say “overseas” in 3 beats

Say it like this

overseas

/ˈoʊvɚˈsiz/

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

3 beats
  1. ovoʊstress
  2. ervɚ
  3. seassiz
IPA (American)
/ˈoʊvɚˈsiz/
IPA (British)
/əʊvəsiːz/
Respelling
OH-vuh-seez
Syllables
3 — OV-er-seas
Stress
Stress the first syllable: OV-er-seas. “ov” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Part of speech
adjective, adverb
Difficulty
Pro — the sounds are ordinary, the rhythm is where it slips
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˈoʊvɚˈsiz/

British

/əʊvəsiːz/

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

Meaning

What “overseas” means

  1. adjective

    in a foreign country

    “markets abroad”

  2. adjective

    being or passing over or across the sea

    “some overseas trade in grain arose”

  3. adverb

    beyond or across the sea

    “He lived overseas for many years”

Say it in a sentence

“Her sister has lived overseas for almost twenty years.”
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

6 sounds, in the order you say them
oʊlong ovvɚschwassilong ezz

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

Questions

“overseas”, answered

How do you pronounce “overseas”?

“overseas” is pronounced /ˈoʊvɚˈsiz/ (OH-vuh-seez) in American English and /əʊvəsiːz/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “ov”. Build it as OV-er-seas, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “overseas” have?

3: ov · er · seas. The beat lands on the first, “ov”.

Is “overseas” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈoʊvɚˈsiz/ (OH-vuh-seez); British English says /əʊvəsiːz/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “overseas” mean?

As an adjective: in a foreign country For example: “markets abroad” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “overseas”?

Stress the first syllable: OV-er-seas. “ov” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

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