How to Pronounce “commitment”

American (US)

/kəˈmɪtmənt/

British (UK)

/kəˈmɪtmənt/

noun — The act or an instance of committing, putting in charge, keeping, or trust, especially: The act of sending a legislative bill to committee for review.

Where the stress falls. “commitment” has 3 syllables, and the transcription /kəˈmɪtmənt/ 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. /kəˈmɪtmənt/ 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 "commitment" mean?

commitment (noun): The act or an instance of committing, putting in charge, keeping, or trust, especially: The act of sending a legislative bill to committee for review.

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

Both accents use the same sequence of phonemes for "commitment", /kəˈmɪtmənt/, 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 "commitment"?

/kəˈmɪtmənt/ in American English, /kəˈmɪtmənt/ in British English.

Which syllable is stressed in "commitment"?

“commitment” has 3 syllables, and the transcription /kəˈmɪtmənt/ 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.