Pronunciation

How to pronounce “renounce

“renounce” is pronounced /ɹɪˈnaʊns/ (ri-NOWNS) in American English and /ɹɪnaʊns/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “naʊns”.
The sound

Say “renounce” in 2 beats

Say it like this

renounce

/ɹɪˈnaʊns/

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

2 beats
  1. ɹɪɹɪ
  2. naʊnsnaʊnsstress
IPA (American)
/ɹɪˈnaʊns/
IPA (British)
/ɹɪnaʊns/
Respelling
ri-NOWNS
Syllables
2 — ɹɪ-NAƱNS
Stress
Stress the second syllable: ɹɪ-NAƱNS. “naʊns” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls 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

/ɹɪˈnaʊns/

British

/ɹɪnaʊns/

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

Meaning

What “renounce” means

  1. verb

    give up, such as power, as of monarchs and emperors, or duties and obligations

    The King abdicated when he married a divorcee

  2. verb

    leave (a job, post, or position) voluntarily

    She vacated the position when she got pregnant

  3. verb

    turn away from; give up

    I am foreswearing women forever

Say it in a sentence

He chose to renounce the title and live quietly.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

5 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

renounce”, answered

How do you pronounce “renounce”?

“renounce” is pronounced /ɹɪˈnaʊns/ (ri-NOWNS) in American English and /ɹɪnaʊns/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “naʊns”. Build it as ɹɪ-NAƱNS, then run the second syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “renounce” have?

2: ɹɪ · naʊns. The beat lands on the second, “naʊns”.

Is “renounce” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ɹɪˈnaʊns/ (ri-NOWNS); British English says /ɹɪnaʊns/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “renounce” mean?

As a verb: give up, such as power, as of monarchs and emperors, or duties and obligations For example: “The King abdicated when he married a divorcee” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “renounce”?

Stress the second syllable: ɹɪ-NAƱNS. “naʊns” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “renounce” 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.