How to pronounce “representative”
Say “representative” in 5 beats
representative
/ˌɹɛpɹəˈzɛntətɪv/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /ɹɛpɹɪzɛntətɪv/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- ɹɛɹɛ
- pɹəpɹə
- zɛnzɛnstress
- tətə
- tɪvtɪv
- IPA (American)
- /ˌɹɛpɹəˈzɛntətɪv/
- IPA (British)
- /ɹɛpɹɪzɛntətɪv/
- Also accepted
- /ˌɹɛpɹɪˈzɛntətɪv/
- Also accepted
- /ˌɹɛpɹəˈzɛnətɪv/
- Also accepted
- /ˌɹɛpɹɪˈzɛnətɪv/
- Respelling
- re-pruh-ZEN-tuh-tiv
- Syllables
- 5 — ɹɛ-pɹə-ZƐN-tə-tɪv
- Stress
- Stress the third syllable: ɹɛ-pɹə-ZƐN-tə-tɪv. “zɛn” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
- Part of speech
- noun, adjective
- Difficulty
- Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
American and British are not the same here
/ˌɹɛpɹəˈzɛntətɪv/
/ɹɛpɹɪzɛntətɪv/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
What “representative” means
- noun
a person who represents others
- noun
an advocate who represents someone else's policy or purpose
“the meeting was attended by spokespersons for all the major organs of government”
- noun
a member of the United States House of Representatives
Say it in a sentence
“A representative from the council will visit on Thursday morning.”“representative”, answered
How do you pronounce “representative”?
“representative” is pronounced /ˌɹɛpɹəˈzɛntətɪv/ (re-pruh-ZEN-tuh-tiv) in American English and /ɹɛpɹɪzɛntətɪv/ in British English, and /ˌɹɛpɹɪˈzɛntətɪv/ and /ˌɹɛpɹəˈzɛnətɪv/ and /ˌɹɛpɹɪˈzɛnətɪv/ are also accepted — 5 syllables, stressed on “zɛn”. Build it as ɹɛ-pɹə-ZƐN-tə-tɪv, then run the third syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.
How many syllables does “representative” have?
5: ɹɛ · pɹə · zɛn · tə · tɪv. The beat lands on the third, “zɛn”.
Is “representative” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /ˌɹɛpɹəˈzɛntətɪv/ (re-pruh-ZEN-tuh-tiv); British English says /ɹɛpɹɪzɛntətɪv/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “representative” mean?
As a noun: a person who represents others For example: “A representative from the council will visit on Thursday morning.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.
Where is the stress in “representative”?
Stress the third syllable: ɹɛ-pɹə-ZƐN-tə-tɪv. “zɛn” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Now say “representative” 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.