Pronunciation

How to pronounce “smartphone

“smartphone” is pronounced /ˈsmɑɹtˌfoʊn/ (SMART-fohn) in American English and /ˈsmɑːtfəʊn/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “smɑɹt”.
The sound

Say “smartphone” in 2 beats

Say it like this

smartphone

/ˈsmɑɹtˌfoʊn/

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

2 beats
  1. smɑɹtsmɑɹtstress
  2. foʊnfoʊn
IPA (American)
/ˈsmɑɹtˌfoʊn/
IPA (British)
/ˈsmɑːtfəʊn/
Respelling
SMART-fohn
Syllables
2 — SMⱭɹT-foʊn
Stress
Stress the first syllable: SMⱭɹT-foʊn. “smɑɹt” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Part of speech
noun
Difficulty
Pro — the sounds are ordinary, the rhythm is where it slips
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˈsmɑɹtˌfoʊn/

British

/ˈsmɑːtfəʊn/

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

Watch out

Where “smartphone” goes wrong

  • Often heard

    smart-FOHN

    the stress is on SMART, the first half of the compound

Meaning

What “smartphone” means

  1. noun

    a mobile phone that runs apps and connects to the internet

Say it in a sentence

She records herself on a smartphone and listens back.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

8 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

smartphone”, answered

How do you pronounce “smartphone”?

“smartphone” is pronounced /ˈsmɑɹtˌfoʊn/ (SMART-fohn) in American English and /ˈsmɑːtfəʊn/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “smɑɹt”. Build it as SMⱭɹT-foʊn, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “smartphone” have?

2: smɑɹt · foʊn. The beat lands on the first, “smɑɹt”.

Is “smartphone” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈsmɑɹtˌfoʊn/ (SMART-fohn); British English says /ˈsmɑːtfəʊn/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “smartphone” mean?

As a noun: a mobile phone that runs apps and connects to the internet For example: “She records herself on a smartphone and listens back.”

Where is the stress in “smartphone”?

Stress the first syllable: SMⱭɹT-foʊn. “smɑɹt” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “smartphone” 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.