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Pronunciation

How to pronounce “respond”

“respond” is pronounced /ɹɪˈspɑnd/ (ri-SPAHND) in American English and /ɹɪspɒnd/ in British English, and /ɹiˈspɑnd/ is also accepted — 2 syllables, stressed on “pond”.
The sound

Say “respond” in 2 beats

Say it like this

respond

/ɹɪˈspɑnd/

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

2 beats
  1. resɹɪ
  2. pondspɑndstress
IPA (American)
/ɹɪˈspɑnd/
IPA (British)
/ɹɪspɒnd/
Also accepted
/ɹiˈspɑnd/
Respelling
ri-SPAHND
Syllables
2 — res-POND
Stress
Stress the second syllable: res-POND. “pond” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Part of speech
verb
Difficulty
Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ɹɪˈspɑnd/

British

/ɹɪspɒnd/

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

Meaning

What “respond” means

  1. verb

    show a response or a reaction to something

  2. verb

    react verbally

    “She didn't want to answer”

  3. verb

    respond favorably or as hoped

    “The cancer responded to the aggressive therapy”

Say it in a sentence

“People respond better to a note than to a shout.”
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

7 sounds, in the order you say them
ɹrɪshort issppɑahnndd

Each sound has its own page: where the tongue goes, what it is usually confused with, and words to drill it on.

Questions

“respond”, answered

How do you pronounce “respond”?

“respond” is pronounced /ɹɪˈspɑnd/ (ri-SPAHND) in American English and /ɹɪspɒnd/ in British English, and /ɹiˈspɑnd/ is also accepted — 2 syllables, stressed on “pond”. Build it as res-POND, then run the second syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “respond” have?

2: res · pond. The beat lands on the second, “pond”.

Is “respond” said differently in British English?

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

What does “respond” mean?

As a verb: show a response or a reaction to something For example: “People respond better to a note than to a shout.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “respond”?

Stress the second syllable: res-POND. “pond” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “respond” and see every sound

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