How to pronounce “progress”
“progress” is said two ways
/ˈpɹɑˌɡɹɛs/
PRAH-gress
Forward movement, as a thing. Beat on the first syllable.
/pɹəˈɡɹɛs/
pruh-GRESS
To move forward. Beat on GRESS.
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: “Talks progress slowly, but the progress is real.”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 “progress” on its own would play one reading twice instead of the noun and the verb. Read the transcription as you listen.
Say “progress” in 2 beats
progress
/ˈpɹɑˌɡɹɛs/
Everything in this card describes the noun form. As a verb it is /pɹəˈɡɹɛs/.
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /ˈpɹəʊɡɹɛs/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- progpɹɑstress
- ressɡɹɛs
- IPA (American)
- /ˈpɹɑˌɡɹɛs/
- IPA (British)
- /ˈpɹəʊɡɹɛs/
- Respelling
- PRAH-gress (noun) · pruh-GRESS (verb)
- Syllables
- 2 — PROG-ress
- Stress
- Stress the first syllable: PROG-ress. “prog” 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
American and British are not the same here
This is the noun form in two accents — a separate question from the two pronunciations above, which are the same accent saying two different words.
/ˈpɹɑˌɡɹɛs/
/ˈpɹəʊɡɹɛs/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
Where “progress” goes wrong
- Often heard
“PRAH-gress to the next round”
moving forward is pruh-GRESS; PRAH-gress is the noun
What “progress” means
- noun
gradual improvement or growth or development
“advancement of knowledge”
- noun
the act of moving forward (as toward a goal)
- noun
a movement forward
“he listened for the progress of the troops”
Say it in a sentence
“Talks progress slowly, but the progress is real.”“progress”, answered
How do you pronounce “progress”?
“progress” has two pronunciations: /ˈpɹɑˌɡɹɛs/ as a noun and /pɹəˈɡɹɛs/ 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 PROG-ress, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.
How many syllables does “progress” have?
2: prog · ress. The beat lands on the first, “prog”.
Which pronunciation of “progress” is correct?
Both are. /ˈpɹɑˌɡɹɛs/ (PRAH-gress) as a noun; /pɹəˈɡɹɛs/ (pruh-GRESS) 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: “Talks progress slowly, but the progress is real.”
Is “progress” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /ˈpɹɑˌɡɹɛs/ (PRAH-gress); British English says /ˈpɹəʊɡɹɛs/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “progress” mean?
As a noun: gradual improvement or growth or development For example: “advancement of knowledge” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.
Where is the stress in “progress”?
Stress the first syllable: PROG-ress. “prog” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Now say “progress” 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.