How to pronounce “western”
Say “western” in 2 beats
western
/ˈwɛstɚn/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /wɛstən/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- weswɛstress
- ternstɚn
- IPA (American)
- /ˈwɛstɚn/
- IPA (British)
- /wɛstən/
- Also accepted
- /ˈhwɛstɚn/
- Respelling
- WE-stuhn
- Syllables
- 2 — WES-tern
- Stress
- Stress the first syllable: WES-tern. “wes” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
- Part of speech
- noun, adjective
- Difficulty
- Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
American and British are not the same here
/ˈwɛstɚn/
/wɛstən/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
What “western” means
- noun
a film about life in the western United States during the period of exploration and development
- noun
a sandwich made from a western omelet
- adjective
relating to or characteristic of the western parts of the world or the West as opposed to the eastern or oriental parts
“the Western world”
Say it in a sentence
“They drove along the western edge of the valley.”“western”, answered
How do you pronounce “western”?
“western” is pronounced /ˈwɛstɚn/ (WE-stuhn) in American English and /wɛstən/ in British English, and /ˈhwɛstɚn/ is also accepted — 2 syllables, stressed on “wes”. Build it as WES-tern, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.
How many syllables does “western” have?
2: wes · tern. The beat lands on the first, “wes”.
Is “western” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /ˈwɛstɚn/ (WE-stuhn); British English says /wɛstən/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “western” mean?
As a noun: a film about life in the western United States during the period of exploration and development For example: “They drove along the western edge of the valley.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.
Where is the stress in “western”?
Stress the first syllable: WES-tern. “wes” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Now say “western” 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.