How to Pronounce “oppress”

American (US)

/əˈpɹɛs/

British (UK)

/əˈpɹɛs/

verb — To keep down by unjust force.

Example: The rural poor were oppressed by the land-owners.

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

oppress (verb): To keep down by unjust force. For example — The rural poor were oppressed by the land-owners.

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

Both accents use the same sequence of phonemes for "oppress", /əˈpɹɛs/, 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 "oppress"?

/əˈpɹɛs/ in American English, /əˈpɹɛs/ in British English.

Which syllable is stressed in "oppress"?

“oppress” has 2 syllables, and the transcription /əˈpɹɛs/ 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.