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Pronunciation

How to pronounce “significant”

“significant” is pronounced /səɡˈnɪfɪkənt/ (suhg-NI-fi-kuhnt) in American English and /sɪɡnɪfɪkənt/ in British English, and /sɪɡˈnɪfɪkənt/ is also accepted — 4 syllables, stressed on “nif”.
The sound

Say “significant” in 4 beats

Say it like this

significant

/səɡˈnɪfɪkənt/

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

4 beats
  1. sigsəɡ
  2. nifnɪstress
  3. icfɪ
  4. antkənt
IPA (American)
/səɡˈnɪfɪkənt/
IPA (British)
/sɪɡnɪfɪkənt/
Also accepted
/sɪɡˈnɪfɪkənt/
Respelling
suhg-NI-fi-kuhnt
Syllables
4 — sig-NIF-ic-ant
Stress
Stress the second syllable: sig-NIF-ic-ant. “nif” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Part of speech
adjective
Difficulty
Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/səɡˈnɪfɪkənt/

British

/sɪɡnɪfɪkənt/

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

Meaning

What “significant” means

  1. adjective

    important in effect or meaning

    “a significant change in tax laws”

  2. adjective

    fairly large

    “won by a substantial margin”

  3. adjective

    too closely correlated to be attributed to chance and therefore indicating a systematic relation

    “the interaction effect is significant at the .01 level”

Say it in a sentence

“There was a significant drop in noise after the bypass opened.”
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

8 sounds, in the order you say them
ssəschwa×2ɡgnn×2ɪshort i×2ffkktt

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

Questions

“significant”, answered

How do you pronounce “significant”?

“significant” is pronounced /səɡˈnɪfɪkənt/ (suhg-NI-fi-kuhnt) in American English and /sɪɡnɪfɪkənt/ in British English, and /sɪɡˈnɪfɪkənt/ is also accepted — 4 syllables, stressed on “nif”. Build it as sig-NIF-ic-ant, then run the second syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “significant” have?

4: sig · nif · ic · ant. The beat lands on the second, “nif”.

Is “significant” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /səɡˈnɪfɪkənt/ (suhg-NI-fi-kuhnt); British English says /sɪɡnɪfɪkənt/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “significant” mean?

As an adjective: important in effect or meaning For example: “a significant change in tax laws” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “significant”?

Stress the second syllable: sig-NIF-ic-ant. “nif” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “significant” and see every sound

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