How To Pronounce Whisper

whisper

Phonemic

/ˈwɪs.pə/

Phonetic

[ˈwɪs.pəʴ]

Phonemic

/ˈwɪs.pɚ/

In British English, whisper is pronounced /ˈwɪs.pə/. The narrow phonetic transcription is [ˈwɪs.pəʴ]. In American English, it is pronounced /ˈwɪs.pɚ/.

Whisper 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

wɪspə

Whisper 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.

whisper + -s

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

/ˈwɪs.pəz/

/ˈwɪs.pɚz/

whisper + -ed

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

/ˈwɪs.pəd/

/ˈwɪs.pɚd/

whisper + -ing

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

/ˈwɪs.pə.rɪŋ/

/ˈwɪs.pɚ.ɪŋ/

Questions About Whisper

How do you pronounce whisper in British English?

In British English, whisper is pronounced /ˈwɪs.pə/. The narrow phonetic transcription is [ˈwɪs.pəʴ].

How do you pronounce whisper in American English?

In American English, whisper is pronounced /ˈwɪs.pɚ/.

How many syllables are in whisper?

Whisper has two syllables, /wɪs/ + /pə/.

Where is the stress in whisper?

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

Do British and American English pronounce whisper the same way?

No. British English has /ˈwɪs.pə/ and American English has /ˈwɪs.pɚ/.

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