How to Pronounce “engagement”

American (US)

/ɪnˈɡeɪd͡ʒ.mənt/

British (UK)

/ɪnˈɡeɪd͡ʒ.mənt/

noun — An appointment, especially to speak or perform.

Example: The lecturer has three speaking engagements this week.

Where the stress falls. “engagement” has 3 syllables, and the transcription /ɪnˈɡeɪd͡ʒ.mənt/ 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. /ɪnˈɡeɪd͡ʒ.mənt/ 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 "engagement" mean?

engagement (noun): An appointment, especially to speak or perform. For example — The lecturer has three speaking engagements this week.

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

Both accents use the same sequence of phonemes for "engagement", /ɪnˈɡeɪd͡ʒ.mənt/, 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 "engagement"?

/ɪnˈɡeɪd͡ʒ.mənt/ in American English, /ɪnˈɡeɪd͡ʒ.mənt/ in British English.

Which syllable is stressed in "engagement"?

“engagement” has 3 syllables, and the transcription /ɪnˈɡeɪd͡ʒ.mənt/ 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.