Pronunciation

How to pronounce “reimburse

“reimburse” is pronounced /ˌɹiɪmˈbɝs/ (ree-im-BURS) in American English and /ɹiːɪmbɜːs/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “se”.
The sound

Say “reimburse” in 3 beats

Say it like this

reimburse

/ˌɹiɪmˈbɝs/

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

3 beats
  1. reimɹi
  2. burɪm
  3. sebɝsstress
IPA (American)
/ˌɹiɪmˈbɝs/
IPA (British)
/ɹiːɪmbɜːs/
Respelling
ree-im-BURS
Syllables
3 — reim-bur-SE
Stress
Stress the third syllable: reim-bur-SE. “se” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Part of speech
verb
Difficulty
Pro — the sounds are ordinary, the rhythm is where it slips
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˌɹiɪmˈbɝs/

British

/ɹiːɪmbɜːs/

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

Meaning

What “reimburse” means

  1. verb

    pay back for some expense incurred

    Can the company reimburse me for my professional travel?

  2. verb

    reimburse or compensate (someone), as for a loss

Say it in a sentence

The office will reimburse your train fare within a fortnight.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

7 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

reimburse”, answered

How do you pronounce “reimburse”?

“reimburse” is pronounced /ˌɹiɪmˈbɝs/ (ree-im-BURS) in American English and /ɹiːɪmbɜːs/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “se”. Build it as reim-bur-SE, then run the third syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “reimburse” have?

3: reim · bur · se. The beat lands on the third, “se”.

Is “reimburse” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˌɹiɪmˈbɝs/ (ree-im-BURS); British English says /ɹiːɪmbɜːs/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “reimburse” mean?

As a verb: pay back for some expense incurred For example: “Can the company reimburse me for my professional travel?” It carries 1 other sense as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “reimburse”?

Stress the third syllable: reim-bur-SE. “se” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “reimburse” 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.