How to pronounce “preference”
Say “preference” in 2 beats
preference
/ˈpɹɛfɹəns/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /ˈpɹɛfəɹəns/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- pɹɛpɹɛstress
- fɹənsfɹəns
- IPA (American)
- /ˈpɹɛfɹəns/
- IPA (British)
- /ˈpɹɛfəɹəns/
- Respelling
- PREF-ruhns
- Syllables
- 2 — PɹƐ-fɹəns
- Stress
- Stress the first syllable: PɹƐ-fɹəns. “pɹɛ” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
- Part of speech
- noun
- Difficulty
- Pro — the sounds are ordinary, the rhythm is where it slips
American and British are not the same here
/ˈpɹɛfɹəns/
/ˈpɹɛfəɹəns/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
Where “preference” goes wrong
- Often heard
“pruh-FUR-ence”
the stress is on PREF, unlike the verb prefer
What “preference” means
- noun
a strong liking
“my own preference is for good literature”
- noun
a predisposition in favor of something
“a predilection for expensive cars”
- noun
the right or chance to choose
“given my druthers, I'd eat cake”
Say it in a sentence
“State your preference for morning or afternoon on the form.”“preference”, answered
How do you pronounce “preference”?
“preference” is pronounced /ˈpɹɛfɹəns/ (PREF-ruhns) in American English and /ˈpɹɛfəɹəns/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “pɹɛ”. Build it as PɹƐ-fɹəns, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.
How many syllables does “preference” have?
2: pɹɛ · fɹəns. The beat lands on the first, “pɹɛ”. Read letter by letter it looks like 3 (pruh-FUR-ence), and that careful version is not wrong — but ordinary speech runs it to 2.
Is “preference” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /ˈpɹɛfɹəns/ (PREF-ruhns); British English says /ˈpɹɛfəɹəns/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “preference” mean?
As a noun: a strong liking For example: “my own preference is for good literature” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.
Where is the stress in “preference”?
Stress the first syllable: PɹƐ-fɹəns. “pɹɛ” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Now say “preference” 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.