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Pronunciation

How to pronounce “retirement”

“retirement” is pronounced /ɹiˈtaɪɚmənt/ (ree-TY-uh-muhnt) in American English and /ɹɪtaɪəmənt/ in British English, and /ɹɪˈtaɪɚmənt/ is also accepted — 4 syllables, stressed on “ir”.
The sound

Say “retirement” in 4 beats

Say it like this

retirement

/ɹiˈtaɪɚmənt/

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

4 beats
  1. retɹi
  2. irtaɪstress
  3. emɚ
  4. entmənt
IPA (American)
/ɹiˈtaɪɚmənt/
IPA (British)
/ɹɪtaɪəmənt/
Also accepted
/ɹɪˈtaɪɚmənt/
Respelling
ree-TY-uh-muhnt
Syllables
4 — ret-IR-em-ent
Stress
Stress the second syllable: ret-IR-em-ent. “ir” 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

/ɹiˈtaɪɚmənt/

British

/ɹɪtaɪəmənt/

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

Meaning

What “retirement” means

  1. noun

    the state of being retired from one's business or occupation

  2. noun

    withdrawal from your position or occupation

  3. noun

    withdrawal for prayer and study and meditation

    “the religious retreat is a form of vacation activity”

Say it in a sentence

“Retirement gave him time for the garden at last.”
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

7 sounds, in the order you say them
ɹrilong ett×2aɪlong iɚschwa×2mmnn

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

Questions

“retirement”, answered

How do you pronounce “retirement”?

“retirement” is pronounced /ɹiˈtaɪɚmənt/ (ree-TY-uh-muhnt) in American English and /ɹɪtaɪəmənt/ in British English, and /ɹɪˈtaɪɚmənt/ is also accepted — 4 syllables, stressed on “ir”. Build it as ret-IR-em-ent, then run the second syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “retirement” have?

4: ret · ir · em · ent. The beat lands on the second, “ir”.

Is “retirement” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ɹiˈtaɪɚmənt/ (ree-TY-uh-muhnt); British English says /ɹɪtaɪəmənt/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “retirement” mean?

As a noun: the state of being retired from one's business or occupation For example: “Retirement gave him time for the garden at last.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “retirement”?

Stress the second syllable: ret-IR-em-ent. “ir” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “retirement” and see every sound

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