Pronunciation

How to pronounce “reverse

“reverse” is pronounced /ɹɪˈvɝs/ (ri-VURS) in American English and /ɹɪvɜːs/ in British English, and /ɹiˈvɝs/ is also accepted — 2 syllables, stressed on “vɝs”.
The sound

Say “reverse” in 2 beats

Say it like this

reverse

/ɹɪˈvɝs/

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

2 beats
  1. ɹɪɹɪ
  2. vɝsvɝsstress
IPA (American)
/ɹɪˈvɝs/
IPA (British)
/ɹɪvɜːs/
Also accepted
/ɹiˈvɝs/
Respelling
ri-VURS
Syllables
2 — ɹɪ-VɝS
Stress
Stress the second syllable: ɹɪ-VɝS. “vɝs” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Part of speech
noun, verb, adjective
Difficulty
Pro — the sounds are ordinary, the rhythm is where it slips
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ɹɪˈvɝs/

British

/ɹɪvɜːs/

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

Meaning

What “reverse” means

  1. noun

    a relation of direct opposition

    we thought Sue was older than Bill but just the reverse was true

  2. noun

    the gears by which the motion of a machine can be reversed

  3. noun

    an unfortunate happening that hinders or impedes; something that is thwarting or frustrating

Say it in a sentence

The reverse of the coin shows a small wren.
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

reverse”, answered

How do you pronounce “reverse”?

“reverse” is pronounced /ɹɪˈvɝs/ (ri-VURS) in American English and /ɹɪvɜːs/ in British English, and /ɹiˈvɝs/ is also accepted — 2 syllables, stressed on “vɝs”. Build it as ɹɪ-VɝS, then run the second syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “reverse” have?

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

Is “reverse” said differently in British English?

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

What does “reverse” mean?

As a noun: a relation of direct opposition For example: “we thought Sue was older than Bill but just the reverse was true” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “reverse”?

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

Practise this word

Now say “reverse” 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.