How To Pronounce Commence

commence

Phonemic

/kəˈmens/

Phonetic

[kəˈmẽns]

Phonemic

/kəˈmens/

In British English, commence is pronounced /kəˈmens/. The narrow phonetic transcription is [kəˈmẽns]. In American English, it is pronounced /kəˈmens/.

Commence has two syllables, and the main stress falls on the second syllable. British and American speakers say it the same way.

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

kəmens

Commence 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.

commence + -s

-s (plural, possessive or singular verb) is /ɪz/ after /s, z, ʃ, ʒ, tʃ, dʒ/.

/kəˈmen.sɪz/

commence + -ed

-ed (past tense or past participle) is /t/ after a voiceless consonant.

/kəˈmenst/

commence + -ing

-ing is always /ɪŋ/.

/kəˈmen.sɪŋ/

Words That Rhyme With Commence

Questions About Commence

How do you pronounce commence in British English?

In British English, commence is pronounced /kəˈmens/. The narrow phonetic transcription is [kəˈmẽns].

How do you pronounce commence in American English?

In American English, commence is pronounced /kəˈmens/.

How many syllables are in commence?

Commence has two syllables, /kə/ + /mens/.

Where is the stress in commence?

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

Do British and American English pronounce commence the same way?

Yes. Both are /kəˈmens/.

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Other Words With The Stress Pattern oO

Nearby Words

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