How to Pronounce “Wednesday”

American (US)

/ˈwenzdeɪ/

British (UK)

/ˈwenzdeɪ/

noun — The day of the week between Tuesday and Thursday.

Example: The meeting was moved to Wednesday.

The spelling is misleading. “Wednesday” is one of a short list of English words whose spelling and pronunciation drifted apart and never came back together. Do not try to sound it out letter by letter — listen to it and learn it whole.

Where the stress falls. “Wednesday” has 2 syllables, and the transcription /ˈwenzdeɪ/ 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.

What does "Wednesday" mean?

Wednesday (noun): The day of the week between Tuesday and Thursday. For example — The meeting was moved to Wednesday.

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

Both accents use the same sequence of phonemes for "Wednesday", /ˈwenzdeɪ/, 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 "Wednesday"?

/ˈwenzdeɪ/ in American English, /ˈwenzdeɪ/ in British English.

Which syllable is stressed in "Wednesday"?

“Wednesday” has 2 syllables, and the transcription /ˈwenzdeɪ/ 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.

Silent D and G — Wednesday, Handsome, Sign, Design, Foreign

The d squeezed out of Wednesday and handsome, the g dropped from gnome, sign, design and foreign, and the words where the silent g returns: signature, designate.

• Silent D words