How to Pronounce “imperative”

American (US)

/ɪmˈpɛɹ.ə.tɪv/

British (UK)

/ɪmˈpɛɹ.ə.tɪv/

Australian (AU)

/ɪmˈpeɹ.ə.tɪv/

adjective — Essential; crucial; extremely important.

Example: That you come here right now is imperative.

The final e is silent. The transcription /ɪmˈpɛɹ.ə.tɪv/ ends on a consonant sound, so the written e at the end of “imperative” is not pronounced.

Where the stress falls. “imperative” has 4 syllables, and the transcription /ɪmˈpɛɹ.ə.tɪv/ 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. /ɪmˈpɛɹ.ə.tɪv/ 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 "imperative" mean?

imperative (adjective): Essential; crucial; extremely important. For example — That you come here right now is imperative.

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

Both accents use the same sequence of phonemes for "imperative", /ɪmˈpɛɹ.ə.tɪv/, 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 "imperative"?

/ɪmˈpɛɹ.ə.tɪv/ in American English, /ɪmˈpɛɹ.ə.tɪv/ in British English, /ɪmˈpeɹ.ə.tɪv/ in Australian English.

Which syllable is stressed in "imperative"?

“imperative” has 4 syllables, and the transcription /ɪmˈpɛɹ.ə.tɪv/ 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.