How To Pronounce Pepper

pepper

Phonemic

/ˈpep.ə/

Phonetic

[ˈpʰep.əʴ]

Phonemic

/ˈpep.ɚ/

In British English, pepper is pronounced /ˈpep.ə/. The narrow phonetic transcription is [ˈpʰep.əʴ]. In American English, it is pronounced /ˈpep.ɚ/.

Pepper has two syllables, and the main stress falls on the first 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

pepə

Pepper 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.

pepper + -s

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

/ˈpep.əz/

/ˈpep.ɚz/

pepper + -ed

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

/ˈpep.əd/

/ˈpep.ɚd/

pepper + -ing

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

/ˈpep.ər.ɪŋ/

/ˈpep.ɚ.ɪŋ/

Questions About Pepper

How do you pronounce pepper in British English?

In British English, pepper is pronounced /ˈpep.ə/. The narrow phonetic transcription is [ˈpʰep.əʴ].

How do you pronounce pepper in American English?

In American English, pepper is pronounced /ˈpep.ɚ/.

How many syllables are in pepper?

Pepper has two syllables, /pep/ + /ə/.

Where is the stress in pepper?

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

Do British and American English pronounce pepper the same way?

No. British English has /ˈpep.ə/ and American English has /ˈpep.ɚ/.

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Other Words With The Stress Pattern Oo

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