Pronunciation

How to pronounce “recount

“recount” has two pronunciations: /ɹɪˈkaʊnt/ as a verb and /ˈɹiˌkaʊnt/ as a noun — 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 verb form.
Two pronunciations

recount” is said two ways

As a verb

/ɹɪˈkaʊnt/

rih-KOWNT

To tell what happened. Beat on KOWNT.

As a noun

/ˈɹiˌkaʊnt/

REE-kownt

Counting the votes again. Beat on REE, and the re- is a clear REE.

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: “He will recount the night of the recount in his memoir.

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 “recount” on its own would play one reading twice instead of the verb and the noun. Read the transcription as you listen.

The sound

Say “recount” in 2 beats

Say it like this — as a verb

recount

/ɹɪˈkaʊnt/

Everything in this card describes the verb form. As a noun it is /ˈɹiˌkaʊnt/.

The voice you hear here is American; a British voice is available in the app's settings.

2 beats
  1. recɹɪ
  2. ountkaʊntstress
IPA (American)
/ɹɪˈkaʊnt/
IPA (British)
/ɹɪˈkaʊnt/
Respelling
rih-KOWNT (verb) · REE-kownt (noun)
Syllables
2 — rec-OUNT
Stress
Stress the second syllable: rec-OUNT. “ount” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Part of speech
noun, verb
Difficulty
Pro — the sounds are ordinary, the rhythm is where it slips
Watch out

Where “recount” goes wrong

  • Often heard

    demand a rih-KOWNT

    counting again is REE-kownt; rih-KOWNT means to tell the story

Meaning

What “recount” means

  1. noun

    an additional (usually a second) count; especially of the votes in a close election

  2. verb

    narrate or give a detailed account of

    Tell what happened

  3. verb

    count again

    We had to recount all the votes after an accusation of fraud was made

Say it in a sentence

He will recount the night of the recount in his memoir.
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

recount”, answered

How do you pronounce “recount”?

“recount” has two pronunciations: /ɹɪˈkaʊnt/ as a verb and /ˈɹiˌkaʊnt/ as a noun — 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 verb form. Build it as rec-OUNT, then run the second syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “recount” have?

2: rec · ount. The beat lands on the second, “ount”.

Which pronunciation of “recount” is correct?

Both are. /ɹɪˈkaʊnt/ (rih-KOWNT) as a verb; /ˈɹiˌkaʊnt/ (REE-kownt) as a noun. 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: “He will recount the night of the recount in his memoir.”

What does “recount” mean?

As a noun: an additional (usually a second) count; especially of the votes in a close election For example: “He will recount the night of the recount in his memoir.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “recount”?

Stress the second syllable: rec-OUNT. “ount” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “recount” 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.