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Pronunciation

How to pronounce “trigger”

“trigger” is pronounced /ˈtɹɪɡɚ/ (TRI-guh) in American English and /tɹɪɡə/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “trig”.
The sound

Say “trigger” in 2 beats

Say it like this

trigger

/ˈtɹɪɡɚ/

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

2 beats
  1. trigtɹɪstress
  2. gerɡɚ
IPA (American)
/ˈtɹɪɡɚ/
IPA (British)
/tɹɪɡə/
Respelling
TRI-guh
Syllables
2 — TRIG-ger
Stress
Stress the first syllable: TRIG-ger. “trig” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Part of speech
noun, verb
Difficulty
Pro — the sounds are ordinary, the rhythm is where it slips
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˈtɹɪɡɚ/

British

/tɹɪɡə/

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

Meaning

What “trigger” means

  1. noun

    lever that activates the firing mechanism of a gun

  2. noun

    a device that activates or releases or causes something to happen

  3. noun

    an act that sets in motion some course of events

Say it in a sentence

“He eased the trigger and the clay disappeared.”
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

5 sounds, in the order you say them
ttɹrɪshort iɡgɚschwa

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

Questions

“trigger”, answered

How do you pronounce “trigger”?

“trigger” is pronounced /ˈtɹɪɡɚ/ (TRI-guh) in American English and /tɹɪɡə/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “trig”. Build it as TRIG-ger, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “trigger” have?

2: trig · ger. The beat lands on the first, “trig”.

Is “trigger” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈtɹɪɡɚ/ (TRI-guh); British English says /tɹɪɡə/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “trigger” mean?

As a noun: lever that activates the firing mechanism of a gun For example: “He eased the trigger and the clay disappeared.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “trigger”?

Stress the first syllable: TRIG-ger. “trig” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “trigger” and see every sound

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