How to Pronounce “resistance”

American (US)

/ɹɪˈzɪstəns/

British (UK)

/ɹɪˈzɪstəns/

noun — The act of resisting, or the capacity to resist.

Example: widespread resistance to the new urban development plans.

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

Where the stress falls. “resistance” has 3 syllables, and the transcription /ɹɪˈzɪstəns/ 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. /ɹɪˈzɪstəns/ 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 "resistance" mean?

resistance (noun): The act of resisting, or the capacity to resist. For example — widespread resistance to the new urban development plans.

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

Both accents use the same sequence of phonemes for "resistance", /ɹɪˈzɪstəns/, 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 "resistance"?

/ɹɪˈzɪstəns/ in American English, /ɹɪˈzɪstəns/ in British English.

Which syllable is stressed in "resistance"?

“resistance” has 3 syllables, and the transcription /ɹɪˈzɪstəns/ 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.