Native Phrase Lab
WillowbrookWord 7 of 100 · Silent letters
How to pronounce listen
/ˈlɪsən/ British English
LIS·ən
2 beats (syllables). The strong beat is the first one.
a Crossed-out letters are silent.
✗ Many people say
LIS·ten
✓ Say
LIS·ən
My tip
The t is silent.
In a sentence
Listen to me carefully.
Now you say it
- Listen to me two or three times.
- Say it slowly, one beat at a time: LIS-ən.
- Say the sentence at normal speed.
Questions
How do you pronounce listen?
In British English, listen is pronounced /ˈlɪsən/. Say it like this: LIS-ən. The t is silent.
How many syllables are in listen?
When you say it, listen has 2 syllables: LIS-ən. The strong beat is the first one, LIS.
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: /ɪ/ as in “ship”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.