How To Pronounce Impair

impair

Phonemic

/ɪmˈpeə/

Phonetic

[ɪ̃mˈpʰeəʴ]

Phonemic

/ɪmˈper/

In British English, impair is pronounced /ɪmˈpeə/. The narrow phonetic transcription is [ɪ̃mˈpʰeəʴ]. In American English, it is pronounced /ɪmˈper/.

Impair 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

ɪmpeə

Impair 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.

impair + -s

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

/ɪmˈpeəz/

/ɪmˈperz/

impair + -ed

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

/ɪmˈpeəd/

/ɪmˈperd/

impair + -ing

-ing is always /ɪŋ/. In UK English a linking /r/ is added because the spelling ends in -r.

/ɪmˈpeə.rɪŋ/

/ɪmˈper.ɪŋ/

Words That Rhyme With Impair

Questions About Impair

How do you pronounce impair in British English?

In British English, impair is pronounced /ɪmˈpeə/. The narrow phonetic transcription is [ɪ̃mˈpʰeəʴ].

How do you pronounce impair in American English?

In American English, impair is pronounced /ɪmˈper/.

How many syllables are in impair?

Impair has two syllables, /ɪm/ + /peə/.

Where is the stress in impair?

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

Do British and American English pronounce impair the same way?

No. British English has /ɪmˈpeə/ and American English has /ɪmˈper/.

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Other Words With The Stress Pattern oO

Nearby Words

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