How to pronounce “seconds”
Say “seconds” in 2 beats
seconds
/ˈsɛkəndz/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /sɛkəndz/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- secsɛstress
- ondskəndz
- IPA (American)
- /ˈsɛkəndz/
- IPA (British)
- /sɛkəndz/
- Respelling
- SE-kuhndz
- Syllables
- 2 — SEC-onds
- Stress
- Stress the first syllable: SEC-onds. “sec” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
- Part of speech
- noun, verb
- Difficulty
- Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
American and British are not the same here
/ˈsɛkəndz/
/sɛkəndz/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
What “seconds” means
- noun
1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
- noun
an indefinitely short time
“wait just a moment”
- noun
the fielding position of the player on a baseball team who is stationed near the second of the bases in the infield
Say it in a sentence
“It took only a few seconds for the kettle to whistle.”“seconds”, answered
How do you pronounce “seconds”?
“seconds” is pronounced /ˈsɛkəndz/ (SE-kuhndz) in American English and /sɛkəndz/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “sec”. Build it as SEC-onds, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.
How many syllables does “seconds” have?
2: sec · onds. The beat lands on the first, “sec”.
Is “seconds” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /ˈsɛkəndz/ (SE-kuhndz); British English says /sɛkəndz/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “seconds” mean?
As a noun: 1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites For example: “It took only a few seconds for the kettle to whistle.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.
Where is the stress in “seconds”?
Stress the first syllable: SEC-onds. “sec” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Now say “seconds” 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.