How to pronounce “weakness”
Say “weakness” in 2 beats
weakness
/ˈwiknəs/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /wiːknəs/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- weakwikstress
- nessnəs
- IPA (American)
- /ˈwiknəs/
- IPA (British)
- /wiːknəs/
- Respelling
- WEEK-nuhs
- Syllables
- 2 — WEAK-ness
- Stress
- Stress the first syllable: WEAK-ness. “weak” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
- Part of speech
- noun
- Difficulty
- Pro — the sounds are ordinary, the rhythm is where it slips
American and British are not the same here
/ˈwiknəs/
/wiːknəs/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
What “weakness” means
- noun
a flaw or weak point
“he was quick to point out his wife's failings”
- noun
powerlessness revealed by an inability to act
“in spite of their weakness the group remains active”
- noun
the property of lacking physical or mental strength; liability to failure under pressure or stress or strain
“his weakness increased as he became older”
Say it in a sentence
“My main weakness is taking on more than I can finish.”“weakness”, answered
How do you pronounce “weakness”?
“weakness” is pronounced /ˈwiknəs/ (WEEK-nuhs) in American English and /wiːknəs/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “weak”. Build it as WEAK-ness, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.
How many syllables does “weakness” have?
2: weak · ness. The beat lands on the first, “weak”.
Is “weakness” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /ˈwiknəs/ (WEEK-nuhs); British English says /wiːknəs/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “weakness” mean?
As a noun: a flaw or weak point For example: “he was quick to point out his wife's failings” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.
Where is the stress in “weakness”?
Stress the first syllable: WEAK-ness. “weak” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Now say “weakness” 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.