How to Pronounce “every”

American (US)

/ˈɛv.(ə.)ɹi/

British (UK)

/ˈɛv.(ə.)ɹi/

Australian (AU)

/ˈev.(ə.)ɹi/

determiner — All of a countable group (considered individually), without exception.

Example: Every person in the room stood and cheered.

Where the stress falls. “every” has 3 syllables, and the transcription /ˈɛv.(ə.)ɹi/ puts the primary stress mark (ˈ) before the first one — so the first syllable is the longest and loudest. The others are said quickly and lightly.

An unstressed vowel reduces to schwa. /ˈɛv.(ə.)ɹi/ 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 "every" mean?

every (determiner): All of a countable group (considered individually), without exception. For example — Every person in the room stood and cheered.

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

Both accents use the same sequence of phonemes for "every", /ˈɛv.(ə.)ɹi/, 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 "every"?

/ˈɛv.(ə.)ɹi/ in American English, /ˈɛv.(ə.)ɹi/ in British English, /ˈev.(ə.)ɹi/ in Australian English.

Which syllable is stressed in "every"?

“every” has 3 syllables, and the transcription /ˈɛv.(ə.)ɹi/ puts the primary stress mark (ˈ) before the first one — so the first syllable is the longest and loudest. The others are said quickly and lightly.

• Words that lose a syllable
• Easy English words to pronounce