How to pronounce “record”
“record” is said two ways
/ˈɹɛkɚd/
REK-urd
The disc, or the written account. Beat on REK.
/ɹɪˈkɔɹd/
rih-KORD
To capture sound or write something down. Beat on KORD, and the vowel opens to -or-.
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: “She played the record again so she could record the lyrics properly.”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 “record” on its own would play one reading twice instead of the noun and the verb. Read the transcription as you listen.
Say “record” in 2 beats
record
/ˈɹɛkɚd/
Everything in this card describes the noun form. As a verb it is /ɹɪˈkɔɹd/.
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /ˈɹɛkɔːd/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- recɹɛstress
- ordkɚd
- IPA (American)
- /ˈɹɛkɚd/
- IPA (British)
- /ˈɹɛkɔːd/
- Respelling
- REK-urd (noun) · rih-KORD (verb)
- Syllables
- 2 — REC-ord
- Stress
- Stress the first syllable: REC-ord. “rec” 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.
/ˈɹɛkɚd/
/ˈɹɛkɔːd/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
Where “record” goes wrong
- Often heard
“REK-urd this call”
recording is the verb, so it is rih-KORD; REK-urd is the thing you play
What “record” means
- noun
anything (such as a document or a phonograph record or a photograph) providing permanent evidence of or information about past events
“the film provided a valuable record of stage techniques”
- noun
sound recording consisting of a disk with a continuous groove; used to reproduce music by rotating while a phonograph needle tracks in the groove
- noun
the number of wins versus losses and ties a team has had
“at 9-0 they have the best record in their league”
Say it in a sentence
“She played the record again so she could record the lyrics properly.”“record”, answered
How do you pronounce “record”?
“record” has two pronunciations: /ˈɹɛkɚd/ as a noun and /ɹɪˈkɔɹd/ 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 REC-ord, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.
How many syllables does “record” have?
2: rec · ord. The beat lands on the first, “rec”.
Which pronunciation of “record” is correct?
Both are. /ˈɹɛkɚd/ (REK-urd) as a noun; /ɹɪˈkɔɹd/ (rih-KORD) 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: “She played the record again so she could record the lyrics properly.”
Is “record” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /ˈɹɛkɚd/ (REK-urd); British English says /ˈɹɛkɔːd/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “record” mean?
As a noun: anything (such as a document or a phonograph record or a photograph) providing permanent evidence of or information about past events For example: “the film provided a valuable record of stage techniques” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.
Where is the stress in “record”?
Stress the first syllable: REC-ord. “rec” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Now say “record” 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.