Pronunciation

How to pronounce “problems

“problems” is pronounced /ˈpɹɑbləmz/ (PRAH-bluhmz) in American English and /pɹɒbləmz/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “prob”.
The sound

Say “problems” in 2 beats

Say it like this

problems

/ˈpɹɑbləmz/

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

2 beats
  1. probpɹɑstress
  2. lemsbləmz
IPA (American)
/ˈpɹɑbləmz/
IPA (British)
/pɹɒbləmz/
Respelling
PRAH-bluhmz
Syllables
2 — PROB-lems
Stress
Stress the first syllable: PROB-lems. “prob” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Part of speech
noun
Difficulty
Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˈpɹɑbləmz/

British

/pɹɒbləmz/

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

Meaning

What “problems” means

  1. noun

    a state of difficulty that needs to be resolved

    she and her husband are having problems

  2. noun

    a question raised for consideration or solution

    our homework consisted of ten problems to solve

  3. noun

    a source of difficulty

    one trouble after another delayed the job

Say it in a sentence

The old house had a few problems with the plumbing.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

8 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

problems”, answered

How do you pronounce “problems”?

“problems” is pronounced /ˈpɹɑbləmz/ (PRAH-bluhmz) in American English and /pɹɒbləmz/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “prob”. Build it as PROB-lems, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “problems” have?

2: prob · lems. The beat lands on the first, “prob”.

Is “problems” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈpɹɑbləmz/ (PRAH-bluhmz); British English says /pɹɒbləmz/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “problems” mean?

As a noun: a state of difficulty that needs to be resolved For example: “she and her husband are having problems” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “problems”?

Stress the first syllable: PROB-lems. “prob” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “problems” 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.