Word 198 of 545 · The stress trap
How to pronounce necessary
/ˈnesəsəri/ British English
NES·ə·sə·ree
4 beats (syllables). The strong beat is the first one.
✗ Many people say
ne·CES·sa·ry
✓ Say
NES·ə·sə·ree
My tip
Stress the start: NES-ə-sə-ree. Many British people say NES-ə-sree.
In a sentence
Is it necessary to book?
Now you say it
- Listen to me two or three times.
- Say it slowly, one beat at a time: NES-ə-sə-ree.
- Say the sentence at normal speed.
Questions
How do you pronounce necessary?
In British English, necessary is pronounced /ˈnesəsəri/. Say it like this: NES-ə-sə-ree. Stress the start: NES-ə-sə-ree. Many British people say NES-ə-sree.
How many syllables are in necessary?
When you say it, necessary has 4 syllables: NES-ə-sə-ree. The strong beat is the first one, NES.
More words like this: the stress trap
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: /e/ as in “bed”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 Word stress 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.


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