How to pronounce “present”
“present” is said two ways
/ˈpɹɛzənt/
PREZ-uhnt
The gift, and the time we are in now — also the adjective in “present company”. Beat on PREZ; the second syllable shrinks to -uhnt.
/pɹiˈzɛnt/
pri-ZENT
To show, give or introduce formally. Beat on ZENT; the first syllable shrinks to pri-.
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: “I was present when she presented the award.”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 “present” on its own would play one reading twice instead of the noun and the verb. Read the transcription as you listen.
Say “present” in 2 beats
present
/ˈpɹɛzənt/
Everything in this card describes the noun form. As a verb it is /pɹiˈzɛnt/.
The voice you hear here is American; a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- prespɹɛstress
- entzənt
- IPA (American)
- /ˈpɹɛzənt/
- IPA (British)
- /ˈpɹɛzənt/
- Respelling
- PREZ-uhnt (noun) · pri-ZENT (verb)
- Syllables
- 2 — PRES-ent
- Stress
- Stress the first syllable: PRES-ent. “pres” 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
Where “present” goes wrong
- Often heard
“PREZ-ent the award”
the verb moves the beat to the second syllable — pri-ZENT
What “present” means
- noun
the period of time that is happening now; any continuous stretch of time including the moment of speech
“that is enough for the present”
- noun
something presented as a gift
“his tie was a present from his wife”
- noun
a verb tense that expresses actions or states at the time of speaking
Say it in a sentence
“I was present when she presented the award.”“present”, answered
How do you pronounce “present”?
“present” has two pronunciations: /ˈpɹɛzənt/ as a noun and /pɹiˈzɛnt/ 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 PRES-ent, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.
How many syllables does “present” have?
2: pres · ent. The beat lands on the first, “pres”.
Which pronunciation of “present” is correct?
Both are. /ˈpɹɛzənt/ (PREZ-uhnt) as a noun; /pɹiˈzɛnt/ (pri-ZENT) 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: “I was present when she presented the award.”
What does “present” mean?
As a noun: the period of time that is happening now; any continuous stretch of time including the moment of speech For example: “that is enough for the present” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.
Where is the stress in “present”?
Stress the first syllable: PRES-ent. “pres” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Now say “present” 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.