How to pronounce “whatever”
Say “whatever” in 3 beats
whatever
/ˌwʌˈtɛvɚ/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /wɒtɛvə/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- whatwʌ
- evtɛstress
- ervɚ
- IPA (American)
- /ˌwʌˈtɛvɚ/
- IPA (British)
- /wɒtɛvə/
- Also accepted
- /ˌhwʌˈtɛvɚ/
- Respelling
- wu-TE-vuh
- Syllables
- 3 — what-EV-er
- Stress
- Stress the second syllable: what-EV-er. “ev” 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
American and British are not the same here
/ˌwʌˈtɛvɚ/
/wɒtɛvə/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
What “whatever” means
- adjective
one or some or every or all without specification
“give me any peaches you don't want”
Say it in a sentence
“She said she would eat whatever was left in the fridge.”“whatever”, answered
How do you pronounce “whatever”?
“whatever” is pronounced /ˌwʌˈtɛvɚ/ (wu-TE-vuh) in American English and /wɒtɛvə/ in British English, and /ˌhwʌˈtɛvɚ/ is also accepted — 3 syllables, stressed on “ev”. Build it as what-EV-er, then run the second syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.
How many syllables does “whatever” have?
3: what · ev · er. The beat lands on the second, “ev”.
Is “whatever” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /ˌwʌˈtɛvɚ/ (wu-TE-vuh); British English says /wɒtɛvə/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “whatever” mean?
As an adjective: one or some or every or all without specification For example: “give me any peaches you don't want”
Where is the stress in “whatever”?
Stress the second syllable: what-EV-er. “ev” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Now say “whatever” 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.