Pronunciation

How to pronounce “transfer

“transfer” is pronounced /tɹænˈsfɝ/ (tran-SFUR) in American English and /tɹansfɜː/ in British English, and /ˈtɹænsfɚ/ is also accepted — 2 syllables, stressed on “fer”.
The sound

Say “transfer” in 2 beats

Say it like this

transfer

/tɹænˈsfɝ/

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

2 beats
  1. transtɹæn
  2. fersfɝstress
IPA (American)
/tɹænˈsfɝ/
IPA (British)
/tɹansfɜː/
Also accepted
/ˈtɹænsfɚ/
Respelling
tran-SFUR
Syllables
2 — trans-FER
Stress
Stress the second syllable: trans-FER. “fer” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Part of speech
noun, verb
Difficulty
Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/tɹænˈsfɝ/

British

/tɹansfɜː/

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

Meaning

What “transfer” means

  1. noun

    the act of moving something from one location to another

  2. noun

    someone who transfers or is transferred from one position to another

    the best student was a transfer from LSU

  3. noun

    the act of transfering something from one form to another

    the transfer of the music from record to tape suppressed much of the background noise

Say it in a sentence

They will transfer the boat to the other mooring tomorrow.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

7 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

transfer”, answered

How do you pronounce “transfer”?

“transfer” is pronounced /tɹænˈsfɝ/ (tran-SFUR) in American English and /tɹansfɜː/ in British English, and /ˈtɹænsfɚ/ is also accepted — 2 syllables, stressed on “fer”. Build it as trans-FER, then run the second syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “transfer” have?

2: trans · fer. The beat lands on the second, “fer”.

Is “transfer” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /tɹænˈsfɝ/ (tran-SFUR); British English says /tɹansfɜː/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “transfer” mean?

As a noun: the act of moving something from one location to another For example: “They will transfer the boat to the other mooring tomorrow.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “transfer”?

Stress the second syllable: trans-FER. “fer” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “transfer” 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.