Pronunciation

How to pronounce “trenchant

“trenchant” is pronounced /ˈtɹɛntʃənt/ (TREN-chuhnt) in American English and /tɹɛntʃənt/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “trenc”.
The sound

Say “trenchant” in 2 beats

Say it like this

trenchant

/ˈtɹɛntʃənt/

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

2 beats
  1. trenctɹɛnstress
  2. hanttʃənt
IPA (American)
/ˈtɹɛntʃənt/
IPA (British)
/tɹɛntʃənt/
Respelling
TREN-chuhnt
Syllables
2 — TRENC-hant
Stress
Stress the first syllable: TRENC-hant. “trenc” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Part of speech
adjective
Difficulty
Legend — spelling and sound part company here
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˈtɹɛntʃənt/

British

/tɹɛntʃənt/

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

Meaning

What “trenchant” means

  1. adjective

    having keenness and forcefulness and penetration in thought, expression, or intellect

    searching insights

  2. adjective

    characterized by or full of force and vigor

    a hard-hitting expose

  3. adjective

    clearly or sharply defined to the mind

    clear-cut evidence of tampering

Say it in a sentence

Her trenchant review of the play upset the whole cast.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

6 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

trenchant”, answered

How do you pronounce “trenchant”?

“trenchant” is pronounced /ˈtɹɛntʃənt/ (TREN-chuhnt) in American English and /tɹɛntʃənt/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “trenc”. Build it as TRENC-hant, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “trenchant” have?

2: trenc · hant. The beat lands on the first, “trenc”.

Is “trenchant” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈtɹɛntʃənt/ (TREN-chuhnt); British English says /tɹɛntʃənt/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “trenchant” mean?

As an adjective: having keenness and forcefulness and penetration in thought, expression, or intellect For example: “searching insights” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “trenchant”?

Stress the first syllable: TRENC-hant. “trenc” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “trenchant” and see every sound

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