Pronunciation

How to pronounce “pressure

“pressure” is pronounced /ˈpɹɛʃɚ/ (PRE-shuh) in American English and /pɹɛʃə/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “pɹɛ”.
The sound

Say “pressure” in 2 beats

Say it like this

pressure

/ˈpɹɛʃɚ/

The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /pɹɛʃə/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.

2 beats
  1. pɹɛpɹɛstress
  2. ʃɚʃɚ
IPA (American)
/ˈpɹɛʃɚ/
IPA (British)
/pɹɛʃə/
Respelling
PRE-shuh
Syllables
2 — PɹƐ-ʃɚ
Stress
Stress the first syllable: PɹƐ-ʃɚ. “pɹɛ” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Part of speech
noun, verb
Difficulty
Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˈpɹɛʃɚ/

British

/pɹɛʃə/

No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.

Meaning

What “pressure” means

  1. noun

    the force applied to a unit area of surface; measured in pascals (SI unit) or in dynes (cgs unit)

    the compressed gas exerts an increased pressure

  2. noun

    a force that compels

    the public brought pressure to bear on the government

  3. noun

    the act of pressing; the exertion of pressure

    he gave the button a press

Say it in a sentence

Pressure to finish early caused most of the mistakes.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

5 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

pressure”, answered

How do you pronounce “pressure”?

“pressure” is pronounced /ˈpɹɛʃɚ/ (PRE-shuh) in American English and /pɹɛʃə/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “pɹɛ”. Build it as PɹƐ-ʃɚ, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “pressure” have?

2: pɹɛ · ʃɚ. The beat lands on the first, “pɹɛ”.

Is “pressure” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈpɹɛʃɚ/ (PRE-shuh); British English says /pɹɛʃə/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “pressure” mean?

As a noun: the force applied to a unit area of surface; measured in pascals (SI unit) or in dynes (cgs unit) For example: “the compressed gas exerts an increased pressure” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “pressure”?

Stress the first syllable: PɹƐ-ʃɚ. “pɹɛ” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “pressure” 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.