Pronunciation

How to pronounce “reimbursement

“reimbursement” is pronounced /ˌɹiɪmˈbɝsmənt/ (ree-im-BUR-smuhnt) in American English and /ɹiːɪmbɜːsmənt/ in British English — 4 syllables, stressed on “sem”.
The sound

Say “reimbursement” in 4 beats

Say it like this

reimbursement

/ˌɹiɪmˈbɝsmənt/

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

4 beats
  1. reimɹi
  2. burɪm
  3. semstress
  4. entsmənt
IPA (American)
/ˌɹiɪmˈbɝsmənt/
IPA (British)
/ɹiːɪmbɜːsmənt/
Respelling
ree-im-BUR-smuhnt
Syllables
4 — reim-bur-SEM-ent
Stress
Stress the third syllable: reim-bur-SEM-ent. “sem” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Part of speech
noun
Difficulty
Pro — the sounds are ordinary, the rhythm is where it slips
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˌɹiɪmˈbɝsmənt/

British

/ɹiːɪmbɜːsmənt/

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

Meaning

What “reimbursement” means

  1. noun

    compensation paid (to someone) for damages or losses or money already spent etc.

    he received reimbursement for his travel expenses

Say it in a sentence

Reimbursement usually arrives with the following month's pay.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

10 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

reimbursement”, answered

How do you pronounce “reimbursement”?

“reimbursement” is pronounced /ˌɹiɪmˈbɝsmənt/ (ree-im-BUR-smuhnt) in American English and /ɹiːɪmbɜːsmənt/ in British English — 4 syllables, stressed on “sem”. Build it as reim-bur-SEM-ent, then run the third syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “reimbursement” have?

4: reim · bur · sem · ent. The beat lands on the third, “sem”.

Is “reimbursement” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˌɹiɪmˈbɝsmənt/ (ree-im-BUR-smuhnt); British English says /ɹiːɪmbɜːsmənt/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “reimbursement” mean?

As a noun: compensation paid (to someone) for damages or losses or money already spent etc. For example: “he received reimbursement for his travel expenses”

Where is the stress in “reimbursement”?

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

Practise this word

Now say “reimbursement” and see every sound

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