Pronunciation

How to pronounce “urgent

“urgent” is pronounced /ˈɝdʒənt/ (UR-juhnt) in American English and /ɜːdʒənt/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “ur”.
The sound

Say “urgent” in 2 beats

Say it like this

urgent

/ˈɝdʒənt/

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

2 beats
  1. urɝstress
  2. gentdʒənt
IPA (American)
/ˈɝdʒənt/
IPA (British)
/ɜːdʒənt/
Respelling
UR-juhnt
Syllables
2 — UR-gent
Stress
Stress the first syllable: UR-gent. “ur” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Part of speech
adjective
Difficulty
Pro — the sounds are ordinary, the rhythm is where it slips
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˈɝdʒənt/

British

/ɜːdʒənt/

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

Meaning

What “urgent” means

  1. adjective

    compelling immediate action

    too pressing to permit of longer delay

Say it in a sentence

Mark it urgent only if it genuinely cannot wait.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

5 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

urgent”, answered

How do you pronounce “urgent”?

“urgent” is pronounced /ˈɝdʒənt/ (UR-juhnt) in American English and /ɜːdʒənt/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “ur”. Build it as UR-gent, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “urgent” have?

2: ur · gent. The beat lands on the first, “ur”.

Is “urgent” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈɝdʒənt/ (UR-juhnt); British English says /ɜːdʒənt/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “urgent” mean?

As an adjective: compelling immediate action For example: “too pressing to permit of longer delay”

Where is the stress in “urgent”?

Stress the first syllable: UR-gent. “ur” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “urgent” 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.