Pronunciation

How to pronounce “purchase

“purchase” is pronounced /ˈpɝtʃəs/ (PUR-chuhs) in American English and /pɜːtʃɪs/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “pɝ”.
The sound

Say “purchase” in 2 beats

Say it like this

purchase

/ˈpɝtʃəs/

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

2 beats
  1. stress
  2. tʃəstʃəs
IPA (American)
/ˈpɝtʃəs/
IPA (British)
/pɜːtʃɪs/
Respelling
PUR-chuhs
Syllables
2 — Pɝ-tʃəs
Stress
Stress the first syllable: Pɝ-tʃəs. “pɝ” 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

/ˈpɝtʃəs/

British

/pɜːtʃɪs/

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

Meaning

What “purchase” means

  1. noun

    the acquisition of something for payment

    they closed the purchase with a handshake

  2. noun

    something acquired by purchase

  3. noun

    a means of exerting influence or gaining advantage

    he could get no purchase on the situation

Say it in a sentence

Keep your receipt to prove the date of purchase.
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

purchase”, answered

How do you pronounce “purchase”?

“purchase” is pronounced /ˈpɝtʃəs/ (PUR-chuhs) in American English and /pɜːtʃɪs/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “pɝ”. Build it as Pɝ-tʃəs, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “purchase” have?

2: pɝ · tʃəs. The beat lands on the first, “pɝ”.

Is “purchase” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈpɝtʃəs/ (PUR-chuhs); British English says /pɜːtʃɪs/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “purchase” mean?

As a noun: the acquisition of something for payment For example: “they closed the purchase with a handshake” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “purchase”?

Stress the first syllable: Pɝ-tʃəs. “pɝ” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “purchase” 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.