How To Pronounce Absent

absent

stress changes

Adjective

Phonemic

/ˈæb.sənt/

Phonetic

[ˈæb.sə̃nt̚]

Phonemic

/ˈæb.sənt/

Verb

Phonemic

/æbˈsent/

Phonetic

[æbˈsẽnt̚]

Phonemic

/æbˈsent/

Absent has more than one pronunciation, depending on how it is used.

Adjective. It is /ˈæb.sənt/ in British English and /ˈæb.sənt/ in American English with the main stress on the first syllable.

Verb. It is /æbˈsent/ in British English and /æbˈsent/ in American English with the main stress on the second syllable.

Slashes / / show the phonemic transcription, the sounds that change meaning. Square brackets [ ] show the phonetic transcription, with the finer detail of how the sounds are actually made.

Syllables, Stress And Endings

Syllables And Stress (Adjective)

æbsənt

Absent has two syllables in British English, and the main stress is on the first syllable, shown in colour above. Its stress pattern is Oo, where O is the stressed syllable.

Syllables And Stress (Verb)

æbsent

Absent has two syllables in British English, and the main stress is on the second syllable, shown in colour above. Its stress pattern is oO, where O is the stressed syllable.

absent + -s

-s (plural, possessive or singular verb) is /s/ after a voiceless consonant.

/æbˈsents/

absent + -ed

-ed (past tense or past participle) is /ɪd/ after /t/ or /d/.

/æbˈsen.tɪd/

/æbˈsen.t̯ɪd/

absent + -ing

-ing is always /ɪŋ/.

/æbˈsen.tɪŋ/

/æbˈsen.t̯ɪŋ/

Questions About Absent

How do you pronounce absent in British English?

Adjective, /ˈæb.sənt/. Verb, /æbˈsent/.

How do you pronounce absent in American English?

Adjective, /ˈæb.sənt/. Verb, /æbˈsent/.

How many syllables are in absent?

Absent has two syllables, /æb/ + /sənt/.

Where is the stress in absent?

The main stress is on the first syllable, /æb/.

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More Words Where The Stress Changes

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