How to pronounce “when”
Say “when” in one beat
when
/wɛn/
The voice you hear here is American; a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- whenwɛn
- IPA (American)
- /wɛn/
- IPA (British)
- /wɛn/
- Also accepted
- /hwɛn/
- Also accepted
- /wɪn/
- Also accepted
- /hwɪn/
- Respelling
- WEN
- Syllables
- 1 — when
- Stress
- One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /wɛn/ in one unbroken piece rather than clipping the vowel.
- Part of speech
- adverb
- Difficulty
- Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
Where “when” goes wrong
- Often heard
“HWEN”
most speakers say a plain w: it sounds like wen
What “when” means
- adverb
at what time, or at the time that
Say it in a sentence
“Call me when you get to the station.”“when”, answered
How do you pronounce “when”?
“when” is pronounced /wɛn/ (WEN), and /hwɛn/ and /wɪn/ and /hwɪn/ are also accepted — one syllable. It is one unbroken piece — /wɛn/ — with no pause anywhere inside it.
How many syllables does “when” have?
One, despite the 1 vowel letters in the spelling. The whole word is /wɛn/ — a single beat.
Is “when” /wɛn/ or /hwɛn/?
Both. /wɛn/ is the form dictionaries list first (WEN).
What does “when” mean?
As an adverb: at what time, or at the time that For example: “Call me when you get to the station.”
Where is the stress in “when”?
One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /wɛn/ in one unbroken piece rather than clipping the vowel.
Now say “when” 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.