Pronunciation

How to pronounce “recent

“recent” is pronounced /ˈɹisənt/ (REE-suhnt) in American English and /ɹiːsənt/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “rec”.
The sound

Say “recent” in 2 beats

Say it like this

recent

/ˈɹisənt/

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

2 beats
  1. recɹistress
  2. entsənt
IPA (American)
/ˈɹisənt/
IPA (British)
/ɹiːsənt/
Respelling
REE-suhnt
Syllables
2 — REC-ent
Stress
Stress the first syllable: REC-ent. “rec” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Part of speech
noun, adjective
Difficulty
Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˈɹisənt/

British

/ɹiːsənt/

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

Meaning

What “recent” means

  1. noun

    approximately the last 10,000 years

  2. adjective

    new

    recent graduates

  3. adjective

    of the immediate past or just previous to the present time

    a late development

Say it in a sentence

Her most recent project was a mural in the town square.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

6 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

recent”, answered

How do you pronounce “recent”?

“recent” is pronounced /ˈɹisənt/ (REE-suhnt) in American English and /ɹiːsənt/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “rec”. Build it as REC-ent, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “recent” have?

2: rec · ent. The beat lands on the first, “rec”.

Is “recent” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈɹisənt/ (REE-suhnt); British English says /ɹiːsənt/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “recent” mean?

As a noun: approximately the last 10,000 years For example: “Her most recent project was a mural in the town square.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “recent”?

Stress the first syllable: REC-ent. “rec” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “recent” 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.