Pronunciation

How to pronounce “workforce

“workforce” is pronounced /ˈwɝkˌfɔɹs/ (WURK-fawrs) in American English and /wɜːkfɔːs/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “wɝk”.
The sound

Say “workforce” in 2 beats

Say it like this

workforce

/ˈwɝkˌfɔɹs/

The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /wɜːkfɔːs/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.

2 beats
  1. wɝkwɝkstress
  2. fɔɹsfɔɹs
IPA (American)
/ˈwɝkˌfɔɹs/
IPA (British)
/wɜːkfɔːs/
Respelling
WURK-fawrs
Syllables
2 — WɝK-fɔɹs
Stress
Stress the first syllable: WɝK-fɔɹs. “wɝk” 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
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˈwɝkˌfɔɹs/

British

/wɜːkfɔːs/

No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.

Meaning

What “workforce” means

  1. noun

    the force of workers available

Say it in a sentence

Half the workforce has been here for over a decade.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

7 sounds, in the order you say them

Each sound has its own page: where the tongue goes, what it is usually confused with, and words to drill it on.

Questions

workforce”, answered

How do you pronounce “workforce”?

“workforce” is pronounced /ˈwɝkˌfɔɹs/ (WURK-fawrs) in American English and /wɜːkfɔːs/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “wɝk”. Build it as WɝK-fɔɹs, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “workforce” have?

2: wɝk · fɔɹs. The beat lands on the first, “wɝk”.

Is “workforce” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈwɝkˌfɔɹs/ (WURK-fawrs); British English says /wɜːkfɔːs/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “workforce” mean?

As a noun: the force of workers available For example: “Half the workforce has been here for over a decade.”

Where is the stress in “workforce”?

Stress the first syllable: WɝK-fɔɹs. “wɝk” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “workforce” and see every sound

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