How to Pronounce “assign”

American (US)

/əˈsaɪn/

British (UK)

/əˈsaɪn/

verb — To designate or set apart (something) for some purpose.

Example: to assign a day for trial.

Where the stress falls. “assign” has 2 syllables, and the transcription /əˈsaɪn/ puts the primary stress mark (ˈ) before the second one — so the second syllable is the longest and loudest. The others are said quickly and lightly.

An unstressed vowel reduces to schwa. /əˈsaɪn/ contains a schwa /ə/ — the short, neutral “uh” that English unstressed syllables collapse into. Saying /ə/ there, instead of the vowel the spelling suggests, is most of what makes the word sound native.

What does "assign" mean?

assign (verb): To designate or set apart (something) for some purpose. For example — to assign a day for trial.

How do you pronounce "assign" in American vs British English?

Both accents use the same sequence of phonemes for "assign", /əˈsaɪn/, so the difference you hear is in how the vowels are coloured rather than in which sounds are used. Play both on this page to compare.

What is the IPA transcription of "assign"?

/əˈsaɪn/ in American English, /əˈsaɪn/ in British English.

Which syllable is stressed in "assign"?

“assign” has 2 syllables, and the transcription /əˈsaɪn/ puts the primary stress mark (ˈ) before the second one — so the second syllable is the longest and loudest. The others are said quickly and lightly.

• Silent G words