How To Pronounce Threaten

threaten

Phonemic

/ˈθret.ən/

Phonetic

[ˈθret.n̩]

Phonemic

/ˈθret.ən/

In British English, threaten is pronounced /ˈθret.ən/. The narrow phonetic transcription is [ˈθret.n̩]. In American English, it is pronounced /ˈθret.ən/.

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

θretən

Threaten 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.

threaten + -s

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

/ˈθret.ənz/

threaten + -ed

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

/ˈθret.ənd/

threaten + -ing

-ing is always /ɪŋ/.

/ˈθret.ən.ɪŋ/

Questions About Threaten

How do you pronounce threaten in British English?

In British English, threaten is pronounced /ˈθret.ən/. The narrow phonetic transcription is [ˈθret.n̩].

How do you pronounce threaten in American English?

In American English, threaten is pronounced /ˈθret.ən/.

How many syllables are in threaten?

Threaten has two syllables, /θret/ + /ən/.

Where is the stress in threaten?

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

Do British and American English pronounce threaten the same way?

Yes. Both are /ˈθret.ən/.

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