Pronunciation

How to pronounce “responsibility

“responsibility” is pronounced /ɹiˌspɑnsəˈbɪləti/ (ree-spahn-suh-BI-luh-tee) in American English and /ɹɪspɒnsəbɪlɪti/ in British English — 6 syllables, stressed on “il”.
The sound

Say “responsibility” in 6 beats

Say it like this

responsibility

/ɹiˌspɑnsəˈbɪləti/

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

6 beats
  1. resɹi
  2. ponspɑn
  3. sib
  4. ilstress
  5. it
  6. yti
IPA (American)
/ɹiˌspɑnsəˈbɪləti/
IPA (British)
/ɹɪspɒnsəbɪlɪti/
Respelling
ree-spahn-suh-BI-luh-tee
Syllables
6 — res-pon-sib-IL-it-y
Stress
Stress the fourth syllable: res-pon-sib-IL-it-y. “il” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Part of speech
noun
Difficulty
Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ɹiˌspɑnsəˈbɪləti/

British

/ɹɪspɒnsəbɪlɪti/

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

Meaning

What “responsibility” means

  1. noun

    the social force that binds you to the courses of action demanded by that force; ; - John D.Rockefeller Jr

    we must instill a sense of duty in our children

  2. noun

    the proper sphere or extent of your activities

    it was his province to take care of himself

  3. noun

    a form of trustworthiness; the trait of being answerable to someone for something or being responsible for one's conduct

    he holds a position of great responsibility

Say it in a sentence

Taking responsibility early made him a better manager later.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

11 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

responsibility”, answered

How do you pronounce “responsibility”?

“responsibility” is pronounced /ɹiˌspɑnsəˈbɪləti/ (ree-spahn-suh-BI-luh-tee) in American English and /ɹɪspɒnsəbɪlɪti/ in British English — 6 syllables, stressed on “il”. Build it as res-pon-sib-IL-it-y, then run the fourth syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “responsibility” have?

6: res · pon · sib · il · it · y. The beat lands on the fourth, “il”.

Is “responsibility” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ɹiˌspɑnsəˈbɪləti/ (ree-spahn-suh-BI-luh-tee); British English says /ɹɪspɒnsəbɪlɪti/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “responsibility” mean?

As a noun: the social force that binds you to the courses of action demanded by that force; ; - John D.Rockefeller Jr For example: “we must instill a sense of duty in our children” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “responsibility”?

Stress the fourth syllable: res-pon-sib-IL-it-y. “il” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “responsibility” 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.