How to pronounce “severance”
Say “severance” in 3 beats
severance
/ˈsɛˌvɝəns/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /sɛvəɹəns/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- sɛsɛstress
- vɝvɝ
- ənsəns
- IPA (American)
- /ˈsɛˌvɝəns/
- IPA (British)
- /sɛvəɹəns/
- Also accepted
- /ˈsɛvɹəns/
- Respelling
- SE-vur-uhns
- Syllables
- 3 — SƐ-vɝ-əns
- Stress
- Stress the first syllable: SƐ-vɝ-əns. “sɛ” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
- Part of speech
- noun
- Difficulty
- Pro — the sounds are ordinary, the rhythm is where it slips
American and British are not the same here
/ˈsɛˌvɝəns/
/sɛvəɹəns/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
What “severance” means
- noun
a personal or social separation (as between opposing factions)
“they hoped to avoid a break in relations”
- noun
the act of severing
Say it in a sentence
“The severance terms were agreed without any argument.”“severance”, answered
How do you pronounce “severance”?
“severance” is pronounced /ˈsɛˌvɝəns/ (SE-vur-uhns) in American English and /sɛvəɹəns/ in British English, and /ˈsɛvɹəns/ is also accepted — 3 syllables, stressed on “sɛ”. Build it as SƐ-vɝ-əns, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.
How many syllables does “severance” have?
3: sɛ · vɝ · əns. The beat lands on the first, “sɛ”.
Is “severance” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /ˈsɛˌvɝəns/ (SE-vur-uhns); British English says /sɛvəɹəns/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “severance” mean?
As a noun: a personal or social separation (as between opposing factions) For example: “they hoped to avoid a break in relations” It carries 1 other sense as well — all of them said the same way.
Where is the stress in “severance”?
Stress the first syllable: SƐ-vɝ-əns. “sɛ” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Now say “severance” 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.