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Pronunciation

How to pronounce “previous”

“previous” is pronounced /ˈpɹiviəs/ (PREE-vee-uhs) in American English and /pɹiːviəs/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “pɹi”.
The sound

Say “previous” in 3 beats

Say it like this

previous

/ˈpɹiviəs/

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

3 beats
  1. pɹipɹistress
  2. vivi
  3. əsəs
IPA (American)
/ˈpɹiviəs/
IPA (British)
/pɹiːviəs/
Respelling
PREE-vee-uhs
Syllables
3 — PɹI-vi-əs
Stress
Stress the first syllable: PɹI-vi-əs. “pɹi” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Part of speech
adjective
Difficulty
Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˈpɹiviəs/

British

/pɹiːviəs/

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

Meaning

What “previous” means

  1. adjective

    just preceding something else in time or order

    “the previous owner”

  2. adjective

    (used especially of persons) of the immediate past

    “the former president”

  3. adjective

    too soon or too hasty

    “our condemnation of him was a bit previous”

Say it in a sentence

“The previous owner left three tins of green paint.”
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

6 sounds, in the order you say them
ppɹrilong evvɪəearss

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

Questions

“previous”, answered

How do you pronounce “previous”?

“previous” is pronounced /ˈpɹiviəs/ (PREE-vee-uhs) in American English and /pɹiːviəs/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “pɹi”. Build it as PɹI-vi-əs, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “previous” have?

3: pɹi · vi · əs. The beat lands on the first, “pɹi”.

Is “previous” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈpɹiviəs/ (PREE-vee-uhs); British English says /pɹiːviəs/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “previous” mean?

As an adjective: just preceding something else in time or order For example: “the previous owner” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “previous”?

Stress the first syllable: PɹI-vi-əs. “pɹi” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “previous” and see every sound

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