How to pronounce “suspect”
“suspect” is said two ways
/ˈsʌˌspɛkt/
SUS-pekt
The person under suspicion. Beat on SUS.
/səˈspɛkt/
suh-SPEKT
To think something is likely. Beat on SPEKT.
Listen for the beat, not the letters
One syllable gets longer, louder and a step higher, and the other one collapses towards a schwa. Say the whole sentence rather than the word on its own and let the grammar pull the beat where it belongs.Both forms live in one sentence here: “I suspect the suspect has already left the country.”Each button plays a short phrase rather than the bare word: the model voice takes its stress from the words around it, so asking it for “suspect” on its own would play one reading twice instead of the noun and the verb. Read the transcription as you listen.
Say “suspect” in 2 beats
suspect
/ˈsʌˌspɛkt/
Everything in this card describes the noun form. As a verb it is /səˈspɛkt/.
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /ˈsʌspɛkt/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- sussʌstress
- pectspɛkt
- IPA (American)
- /ˈsʌˌspɛkt/
- IPA (British)
- /ˈsʌspɛkt/
- Respelling
- SUS-pekt (noun) · suh-SPEKT (verb)
- Syllables
- 2 — SUS-pect
- Stress
- Stress the first syllable: SUS-pect. “sus” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
- Part of speech
- noun, verb, adjective
- Difficulty
- Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
American and British are not the same here
This is the noun form in two accents — a separate question from the two pronunciations above, which are the same accent saying two different words.
/ˈsʌˌspɛkt/
/ˈsʌspɛkt/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
Where “suspect” goes wrong
- Often heard
“SUS-pekt nothing”
thinking something is likely is suh-SPEKT; SUS-pekt is the person
What “suspect” means
- noun
someone who is under suspicion
- noun
a person or institution against whom an action is brought in a court of law; the person being sued or accused
- verb
imagine to be the case or true or probable
“I suspect he is a fugitive”
Say it in a sentence
“I suspect the suspect has already left the country.”“suspect”, answered
How do you pronounce “suspect”?
“suspect” has two pronunciations: /ˈsʌˌspɛkt/ as a noun and /səˈspɛkt/ as a verb — the part of speech decides which. The spelling never changes; the beat does, and the vowels reshape around wherever it lands. The transcription and syllable breakdown below describe the noun form. Build it as SUS-pect, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.
How many syllables does “suspect” have?
2: sus · pect. The beat lands on the first, “sus”.
Which pronunciation of “suspect” is correct?
Both are. /ˈsʌˌspɛkt/ (SUS-pekt) as a noun; /səˈspɛkt/ (suh-SPEKT) as a verb. Nothing about the spelling tells you which — the sentence does. Move the beat and the word changes its job mid-sentence, which is why both are worth drilling. Both appear here: “I suspect the suspect has already left the country.”
Is “suspect” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /ˈsʌˌspɛkt/ (SUS-pekt); British English says /ˈsʌspɛkt/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “suspect” mean?
As a noun: someone who is under suspicion For example: “I suspect the suspect has already left the country.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.
Where is the stress in “suspect”?
Stress the first syllable: SUS-pect. “sus” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Now say “suspect” 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.