Pronunciation

How to pronounce “various

“various” is pronounced /ˈvɛɹiəs/ (VE-ree-uhs) in American English and /veəɹiəs/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “vɛ”.
The sound

Say “various” in 3 beats

Say it like this

various

/ˈvɛɹiəs/

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

3 beats
  1. stress
  2. ɹiɹi
  3. əsəs
IPA (American)
/ˈvɛɹiəs/
IPA (British)
/veəɹiəs/
Respelling
VE-ree-uhs
Syllables
3 — VƐ-ɹi-əs
Stress
Stress the first syllable: VƐ-ɹi-əs. “vɛ” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Part of speech
adjective
Difficulty
Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˈvɛɹiəs/

British

/veəɹiəs/

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

Meaning

What “various” means

  1. adjective

    of many different kinds purposefully arranged but lacking any uniformity

    assorted sizes

  2. adjective

    considered individually

    the respective club members

  3. adjective

    distinctly dissimilar or unlike

    celebrities as diverse as Bob Hope and Bob Dylan

Say it in a sentence

The market sells various spices imported from across Asia.
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

various”, answered

How do you pronounce “various”?

“various” is pronounced /ˈvɛɹiəs/ (VE-ree-uhs) in American English and /veəɹiəs/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “vɛ”. Build it as VƐ-ɹi-əs, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “various” have?

3: vɛ · ɹi · əs. The beat lands on the first, “vɛ”.

Is “various” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈvɛɹiəs/ (VE-ree-uhs); British English says /veəɹiəs/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “various” mean?

As an adjective: of many different kinds purposefully arranged but lacking any uniformity For example: “assorted sizes” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “various”?

Stress the first syllable: VƐ-ɹi-əs. “vɛ” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “various” 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.