Pronunciation

How to pronounce “press

“press” is pronounced /pɹɛs/ (PRES) — one syllable.
The sound

Say “press” in one beat

Say it like this

press

/pɹɛs/

The voice you hear here is American; a British voice is available in the app's settings.

1 beat
  1. presspɹɛs
IPA (American)
/pɹɛs/
IPA (British)
/pɹɛs/
Respelling
PRES
Syllables
1 — press
Stress
One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /pɹɛs/ in one unbroken piece rather than clipping the vowel.
Part of speech
noun, verb
Difficulty
Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
Meaning

What “press” means

  1. noun

    the state of demanding notice or attention

    the insistence of their hunger

  2. noun

    the print media responsible for gathering and publishing news in the form of newspapers or magazines

  3. noun

    a machine used for printing

Say it in a sentence

The company held a press conference to announce the merger.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

4 sounds, in the order you say them

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

Questions

press”, answered

How do you pronounce “press”?

“press” is pronounced /pɹɛs/ (PRES) — one syllable. It is one unbroken piece — /pɹɛs/ — with no pause anywhere inside it.

How many syllables does “press” have?

One, despite the 1 vowel letters in the spelling. The whole word is /pɹɛs/ — a single beat.

What does “press” mean?

As a noun: the state of demanding notice or attention For example: “the insistence of their hunger” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “press”?

One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /pɹɛs/ in one unbroken piece rather than clipping the vowel.

Practise this word

Now say “press” 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.