How to pronounce “whether”
Say “whether” in 2 beats
whether
/ˈwɛðɚ/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /ˈwɛðə/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- whetwɛstress
- herðɚ
- IPA (American)
- /ˈwɛðɚ/
- IPA (British)
- /ˈwɛðə/
- Also accepted
- /ˈhwɛðɚ/
- Respelling
- WEDH-ur
- Syllables
- 2 — WHET-her
- Stress
- Stress the first syllable: WHET-her. “whet” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
- Part of speech
- conjunction
- Difficulty
- Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
American and British are not the same here
/ˈwɛðɚ/
/ˈwɛðə/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
Where “whether” goes wrong
- Often heard
“WETH-er with a hissing th”
identical in sound to weather; only the spelling differs
What “whether” means
- conjunction
used to introduce a choice between alternatives, or a doubt about which of two things is true
“Nobody knew whether the ferry would run.”
Say it in a sentence
“Nobody knew whether the ferry would run at all.”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.
“whether”, answered
How do you pronounce “whether”?
“whether” is pronounced /ˈwɛðɚ/ (WEDH-ur) in American English and /ˈwɛðə/ in British English, and /ˈhwɛðɚ/ is also accepted — 2 syllables, stressed on “whet”. Build it as WHET-her, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.
How many syllables does “whether” have?
2: whet · her. The beat lands on the first, “whet”.
Is “whether” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /ˈwɛðɚ/ (WEDH-ur); British English says /ˈwɛðə/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “whether” mean?
As a conjunction: used to introduce a choice between alternatives, or a doubt about which of two things is true For example: “Nobody knew whether the ferry would run.”
Where is the stress in “whether”?
Stress the first syllable: WHET-her. “whet” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Now say “whether” 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.