How to pronounce “welfare”
Say “welfare” in 2 beats
welfare
/ˈwɛlˌfɛɹ/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /wɛlfeə/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- wɛlwɛlstress
- fɛɹfɛɹ
- IPA (American)
- /ˈwɛlˌfɛɹ/
- IPA (British)
- /wɛlfeə/
- Respelling
- WEL-fer
- Syllables
- 2 — WƐL-fɛɹ
- Stress
- Stress the first syllable: WƐL-fɛɹ. “wɛl” 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
/ˈwɛlˌfɛɹ/
/wɛlfeə/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
What “welfare” means
- noun
governmental provision of economic assistance to persons in need
“she lives on welfare”
- noun
something that aids or promotes well-being
“for the benefit of all”
- noun
a contented state of being happy and healthy and prosperous
“the town was finally on the upbeat after our recent troubles”
Say it in a sentence
“The welfare of the animals comes before everything else here.”The sounds inside this word
Each sound has its own page: where the tongue goes, what it is usually confused with, and words to drill it on.
“welfare”, answered
How do you pronounce “welfare”?
“welfare” is pronounced /ˈwɛlˌfɛɹ/ (WEL-fer) in American English and /wɛlfeə/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “wɛl”. Build it as WƐL-fɛɹ, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.
How many syllables does “welfare” have?
2: wɛl · fɛɹ. The beat lands on the first, “wɛl”.
Is “welfare” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /ˈwɛlˌfɛɹ/ (WEL-fer); British English says /wɛlfeə/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “welfare” mean?
As a noun: governmental provision of economic assistance to persons in need For example: “she lives on welfare” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.
Where is the stress in “welfare”?
Stress the first syllable: WƐL-fɛɹ. “wɛl” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Now say “welfare” 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.