How to pronounce “perfect”
“perfect” is said two ways
/ˈpɝfɪkt/
PUR-fikt
Flawless. Beat on PUR, and the second syllable shrinks to -fikt.
/pɚˈfɛkt/
pur-FEKT
To make something flawless. Beat on FEKT, with a full e.
Listen for the beat, not the letters
One syllable gets longer, louder and a step higher, and the other one collapses towards a schwa. Say the whole sentence rather than the word on its own and let the grammar pull the beat where it belongs.Both forms live in one sentence here: “She spent a year trying to perfect a perfect soufflé.”Each button plays a short phrase rather than the bare word: the model voice takes its stress from the words around it, so asking it for “perfect” on its own would play one reading twice instead of the adjective and the verb. Read the transcription as you listen.
Say “perfect” in 2 beats
perfect
/ˈpɝfɪkt/
Everything in this card describes the adjective form. As a verb it is /pɚˈfɛkt/.
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /ˈpɜːfɪkt/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- perpɝstress
- fectfɪkt
- IPA (American)
- /ˈpɝfɪkt/
- IPA (British)
- /ˈpɜːfɪkt/
- Respelling
- PUR-fikt (adjective) · pur-FEKT (verb)
- Syllables
- 2 — PER-fect
- Stress
- Stress the first syllable: PER-fect. “per” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
- Part of speech
- noun, verb, adjective
- Difficulty
- Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
American and British are not the same here
This is the adjective form in two accents — a separate question from the two pronunciations above, which are the same accent saying two different words.
/ˈpɝfɪkt/
/ˈpɜːfɪkt/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
Where “perfect” goes wrong
- Often heard
“PUR-fikt your accent”
improving something is pur-FEKT; PUR-fikt is the adjective
What “perfect” means
- noun
a tense of verbs used in describing action that has been completed (sometimes regarded as perfective aspect)
- verb
make perfect or complete
“perfect your French in Paris!”
- adjective
being complete of its kind and without defect or blemish
“a perfect circle”
Say it in a sentence
“She spent a year trying to perfect a perfect soufflé.”“perfect”, answered
How do you pronounce “perfect”?
“perfect” has two pronunciations: /ˈpɝfɪkt/ as an adjective and /pɚˈfɛkt/ as a verb — the part of speech decides which. The spelling never changes; the beat does, and the vowels reshape around wherever it lands. The transcription and syllable breakdown below describe the adjective form. Build it as PER-fect, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.
How many syllables does “perfect” have?
2: per · fect. The beat lands on the first, “per”.
Which pronunciation of “perfect” is correct?
Both are. /ˈpɝfɪkt/ (PUR-fikt) as an adjective; /pɚˈfɛkt/ (pur-FEKT) as a verb. Nothing about the spelling tells you which — the sentence does. Move the beat and the word changes its job mid-sentence, which is why both are worth drilling. Both appear here: “She spent a year trying to perfect a perfect soufflé.”
Is “perfect” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /ˈpɝfɪkt/ (PUR-fikt); British English says /ˈpɜːfɪkt/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “perfect” mean?
As a noun: a tense of verbs used in describing action that has been completed (sometimes regarded as perfective aspect) For example: “She spent a year trying to perfect a perfect soufflé.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.
Where is the stress in “perfect”?
Stress the first syllable: PER-fect. “per” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Now say “perfect” 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.