How to pronounce “permit”
“permit” is said two ways
/ˈpɝˌmɪt/
PUR-mit
The piece of paper that allows something. Beat on PUR.
/pɚˈmɪt/
pur-MIT
To allow. Beat on MIT; the first syllable reduces.
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: “The council will permit the stall as soon as the permit is signed.”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 “permit” on its own would play one reading twice instead of the noun and the verb. Read the transcription as you listen.
Say “permit” in 2 beats
permit
/ˈpɝˌmɪt/
Everything in this card describes the noun form. As a verb it is /pɚˈmɪt/.
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /ˈpɜːmɪt/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- perpɝstress
- mitmɪt
- IPA (American)
- /ˈpɝˌmɪt/
- IPA (British)
- /ˈpɜːmɪt/
- Respelling
- PUR-mit (noun) · pur-MIT (verb)
- Syllables
- 2 — PER-mit
- Stress
- Stress the first syllable: PER-mit. “per” 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
American and British are not the same here
This is the noun form in two accents — a separate question from the two pronunciations above, which are the same accent saying two different words.
/ˈpɝˌmɪt/
/ˈpɜːmɪt/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
Where “permit” goes wrong
- Often heard
“PUR-mit me to explain”
allowing something is pur-MIT; PUR-mit is the document
What “permit” means
- noun
a legal document giving official permission to do something
- noun
the act of giving a formal (usually written) authorization
- noun
large game fish; found in waters of the West Indies
Say it in a sentence
“The council will permit the stall as soon as the permit is signed.”“permit”, answered
How do you pronounce “permit”?
“permit” has two pronunciations: /ˈpɝˌmɪt/ as a noun and /pɚˈmɪt/ 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 noun form. Build it as PER-mit, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.
How many syllables does “permit” have?
2: per · mit. The beat lands on the first, “per”.
Which pronunciation of “permit” is correct?
Both are. /ˈpɝˌmɪt/ (PUR-mit) as a noun; /pɚˈmɪt/ (pur-MIT) 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: “The council will permit the stall as soon as the permit is signed.”
Is “permit” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /ˈpɝˌmɪt/ (PUR-mit); British English says /ˈpɜːmɪt/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “permit” mean?
As a noun: a legal document giving official permission to do something For example: “The council will permit the stall as soon as the permit is signed.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.
Where is the stress in “permit”?
Stress the first syllable: PER-mit. “per” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Now say “permit” 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.