Native Phrase Lab
WillowbrookWord 141 of 545 · Silent letters
How to pronounce handsome
/ˈhænsəm/ British English
HAN·səm
2 beats (syllables). The strong beat is the first one.
a Crossed-out letters are silent.
✗ Many people say
HAND·some
✓ Say
HAN·səm
My tip
The d is silent: HAN-səm.
In a sentence
What a handsome dog!
Now you say it
- Listen to me two or three times.
- Say it slowly, one beat at a time: HAN-səm.
- Say the sentence at normal speed.
Questions
How do you pronounce handsome?
In British English, handsome is pronounced /ˈhænsəm/. Say it like this: HAN-səm. The d is silent: HAN-səm.
How many syllables are in handsome?
When you say it, handsome has 2 syllables: HAN-səm. The strong beat is the first one, HAN.
More words like this: silent letters
Practise these sounds
- The schwa, /ə/The small, weak sound in this word. It’s one of the 4 sounds you can practise completely free in my Sound Atlas.
- The strong beat: /æ/ as in “cat”Meet this sound and hear it in my Sound Atlas. Free.
- The Sound MapAll 44 sounds of British English, in my voice. Free.
- Pitch Perfect: the Silent letters setHear me say it, record yourself, and see your sound under mine. A premium game.
- More gamesFive of my English games are free to play.