How to pronounce “reluctant”
Say “reluctant” in 3 beats
reluctant
/ɹɪˈlʌktənt/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /ɹɪlʌktənt/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- relɹɪ
- uclʌkstress
- tanttənt
- IPA (American)
- /ɹɪˈlʌktənt/
- IPA (British)
- /ɹɪlʌktənt/
- Also accepted
- /ɹiˈlʌktənt/
- Respelling
- ri-LUK-tuhnt
- Syllables
- 3 — rel-UC-tant
- Stress
- Stress the second syllable: rel-UC-tant. “uc” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
- Part of speech
- adjective
- Difficulty
- Pro — the sounds are ordinary, the rhythm is where it slips
American and British are not the same here
/ɹɪˈlʌktənt/
/ɹɪlʌktənt/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
What “reluctant” means
- adjective
unwillingness to do something contrary to your custom
“a reluctant smile”
- adjective
disinclined to become involved
“they were usually reluctant to socialize”
- adjective
not eager
“foreigners stubbornly reluctant to accept our ways”
Say it in a sentence
“He was reluctant to leave the dog on her own.”“reluctant”, answered
How do you pronounce “reluctant”?
“reluctant” is pronounced /ɹɪˈlʌktənt/ (ri-LUK-tuhnt) in American English and /ɹɪlʌktənt/ in British English, and /ɹiˈlʌktənt/ is also accepted — 3 syllables, stressed on “uc”. Build it as rel-UC-tant, then run the second syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.
How many syllables does “reluctant” have?
3: rel · uc · tant. The beat lands on the second, “uc”.
Is “reluctant” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /ɹɪˈlʌktənt/ (ri-LUK-tuhnt); British English says /ɹɪlʌktənt/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “reluctant” mean?
As an adjective: unwillingness to do something contrary to your custom For example: “a reluctant smile” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.
Where is the stress in “reluctant”?
Stress the second syllable: rel-UC-tant. “uc” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Now say “reluctant” 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.