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Pronunciation

How to pronounce “soften”

“soften” is pronounced /ˈsɑfən/ (SAH-fuhn) in American English and /sɒfən/ in British English, and /ˈsɔfən/ is also accepted — 2 syllables, stressed on “sof”.
The sound

Say “soften” in 2 beats

Say it like this

soften

/ˈsɑfən/

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

2 beats
  1. sofsɑstress
  2. tenfən
IPA (American)
/ˈsɑfən/
IPA (British)
/sɒfən/
Also accepted
/ˈsɔfən/
Respelling
SAH-fuhn
Syllables
2 — SOF-ten
Stress
Stress the first syllable: SOF-ten. “sof” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Part of speech
verb
Difficulty
Pro — the sounds are ordinary, the rhythm is where it slips
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˈsɑfən/

British

/sɒfən/

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

Meaning

What “soften” means

  1. verb

    make (images or sounds) soft or softer

  2. verb

    lessen in force or effect

    “soften a shock”

  3. verb

    give in, as to influence or pressure

Say it in a sentence

“Let the butter soften before you mix it with the sugar.”
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

5 sounds, in the order you say them
ssɑahffəschwann

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

Questions

“soften”, answered

How do you pronounce “soften”?

“soften” is pronounced /ˈsɑfən/ (SAH-fuhn) in American English and /sɒfən/ in British English, and /ˈsɔfən/ is also accepted — 2 syllables, stressed on “sof”. Build it as SOF-ten, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “soften” have?

2: sof · ten. The beat lands on the first, “sof”.

Is “soften” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈsɑfən/ (SAH-fuhn); British English says /sɒfən/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “soften” mean?

As a verb: make (images or sounds) soft or softer For example: “Let the butter soften before you mix it with the sugar.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “soften”?

Stress the first syllable: SOF-ten. “sof” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.

Practise this word

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