How To Pronounce Bestow

bestow

Phonemic

/bɪˈstəʊ/

Phonetic

[bɪˈstəʊ]

Phonemic

/bɪˈstoʊ/

In British English, bestow is pronounced /bɪˈstəʊ/. The narrow phonetic transcription is [bɪˈstəʊ]. In American English, it is pronounced /bɪˈstoʊ/.

Bestow has two syllables, and the main stress falls on the second syllable. The British and American pronunciations are different, so listen to both.

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

bɪstəʊ

Bestow 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.

bestow + -s

-s (plural, possessive or singular verb) is /z/ after a voiced consonant or a vowel sound.

/bɪˈstəʊz/

/bɪˈstoʊz/

bestow + -ed

-ed (past tense or past participle) is /d/ after a voiced consonant or a vowel sound.

/bɪˈstəʊd/

/bɪˈstoʊd/

bestow + -ing

-ing is always /ɪŋ/.

/bɪˈstəʊ.ɪŋ/

/bɪˈstoʊ.ɪŋ/

Words That Rhyme With Bestow

Questions About Bestow

How do you pronounce bestow in British English?

In British English, bestow is pronounced /bɪˈstəʊ/. The narrow phonetic transcription is [bɪˈstəʊ].

How do you pronounce bestow in American English?

In American English, bestow is pronounced /bɪˈstoʊ/.

How many syllables are in bestow?

Bestow has two syllables, /bɪ/ + /stəʊ/.

Where is the stress in bestow?

The main stress is on the second syllable, /stəʊ/.

Do British and American English pronounce bestow the same way?

No. British English has /bɪˈstəʊ/ and American English has /bɪˈstoʊ/.

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Other Words With The Stress Pattern oO

Nearby Words

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