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Pronunciation

How to pronounce “understand”

“understand” is pronounced /ˌʌndɚˈstænd/ (un-duh-STAND) in American English and /ʌndəstand/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “tand”.
The sound

Say “understand” in 3 beats

Say it like this

understand

/ˌʌndɚˈstænd/

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

3 beats
  1. unʌn
  2. dersdɚ
  3. tandstændstress
IPA (American)
/ˌʌndɚˈstænd/
IPA (British)
/ʌndəstand/
Respelling
un-duh-STAND
Syllables
3 — un-ders-TAND
Stress
Stress the third syllable: un-ders-TAND. “tand” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Part of speech
verb
Difficulty
Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˌʌndɚˈstænd/

British

/ʌndəstand/

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

Meaning

What “understand” means

  1. verb

    know and comprehend the nature or meaning of

    “She did not understand her husband”

  2. verb

    perceive (an idea or situation) mentally

    “Now I see!”

  3. verb

    make sense of a language

    “She understands French”

Say it in a sentence

“I understand the rule; I just disagree with it.”
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

7 sounds, in the order you say them
ʌshort unn×2dd×2ɚschwassttæshort a

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

Questions

“understand”, answered

How do you pronounce “understand”?

“understand” is pronounced /ˌʌndɚˈstænd/ (un-duh-STAND) in American English and /ʌndəstand/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “tand”. Build it as un-ders-TAND, then run the third syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “understand” have?

3: un · ders · tand. The beat lands on the third, “tand”.

Is “understand” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˌʌndɚˈstænd/ (un-duh-STAND); British English says /ʌndəstand/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “understand” mean?

As a verb: know and comprehend the nature or meaning of For example: “She did not understand her husband” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “understand”?

Stress the third syllable: un-ders-TAND. “tand” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “understand” and see every sound

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