How to Pronounce “complaint”

American (US)

/kəmˈpleɪnt/

British (UK)

/kəmˈpleɪnt/

noun — The act of complaining.

Example: customer complaints.

Where the stress falls. “complaint” has 2 syllables, and the transcription /kəmˈpleɪnt/ 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. /kəmˈpleɪnt/ 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 "complaint" mean?

complaint (noun): The act of complaining. For example — customer complaints.

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

Both accents use the same sequence of phonemes for "complaint", /kəmˈpleɪnt/, 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 "complaint"?

/kəmˈpleɪnt/ in American English, /kəmˈpleɪnt/ in British English.

Which syllable is stressed in "complaint"?

“complaint” has 2 syllables, and the transcription /kəmˈpleɪnt/ 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.