Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

accent

/ˈæk.sɛnt/

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: 4.14 in modern English

Syllables
ac-cent
IPA
/ˈæk.sɛnt/
10
Scrabble Score
6
Letters
2
Syllables
5
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A higher-pitched or stronger (louder or longer) articulation of a particular syllable of a word or phrase in order to distinguish it from the others or to emphasize it.

Countable; Uncountable

noun

Emphasis or importance in general.

Countable; Uncountable

noun

A mark used in writing, in order to indicate the place of the spoken stress.

Countable; Uncountable

noun

Any mark used in writing over letters, either in order to indicate the place of the spoken stress, or to indicate the nature or quality of the vowel marked, or to distinguish homophones.

Countable; Uncountable

noun

Modulation of the voice in speaking; the manner of speaking or pronouncing; a peculiar or characteristic modification of the voice, expressing emotion; tone.

Countable; Uncountable

noun

The distinctive manner of pronouncing a language associated with a particular region, social group, etc., whether of a native speaker or a foreign speaker; the phonetic and phonological aspects of a dialect.

Countable; Uncountable

noun

The distinctive manner of pronouncing a language associated with a particular region, social group, etc., whether of a native speaker or a foreign speaker; the phonetic and phonological aspects of a dialect.

Countable; Informal; Uncountable

noun

The distinctive manner of pronouncing a language associated with a particular region, social group, etc., whether of a native speaker or a foreign speaker; the phonetic and phonological aspects of a dialect.

Countable; Uncountable

Example Sentences

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂éd Proto-Italic *ad Proto-Italic *ad- Latin ad- Proto-Indo-European *keh₂n- Proto-Indo-European *kh₂néti Proto-Italic *kanō Latin canō Latin accinō Proto-Indo-European *-tus Proto-Italic *-tus Latin -tus ▲ Ancient Greek προσῳδῐ́ᾱ (prosōidĭ́ā)calq. Medieval Latin accentusbor. Middle French accentbor. Anglo-Norman accentbor. Middle English accent English accent Inherited from Middle English accent, from Medieval Latin accentus and Old French accent, acent, both from Latin accentus, past participle of accinō (“sing to, sing along”), from ad- + canō (“to sing”). The word accent had been borrowed into Old English already, but was lost and reborrowed in Middle English. Displaced native Old English swēġ.

Origin

Word Breakdown

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˈæk.sɛnt/
  • British English: /ˈak.sənt/

Usage

Inflected Forms

accents (plural) accents (present, singular) accenting (participle, present) accented (participle, past) accented (past)

Derived Forms

accentism accentless accentologist accentology accentor blaccent deaccent fagcent misaccent nonaccent overaccent reaccent

Phrases

accent acute accent diamond accent mark accent tag accent wall accent-wise acute accent circumflex accent

Frequently Paired Words

circumflex diacritic

Synonyms

stress accent mark emphasis speech pattern dialect idiom accentuate emphasize emphasise punctuate

Rhymes With

went event sent percent spent meant non-event cent prevent rent represent extent

Questions

How do you pronounce accent?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈæk.sɛnt/.
What does accent mean?
A higher-pitched or stronger (louder or longer) articulation of a particular syllable of a word or phrase in order to distinguish it from the others or to emphasize it.
Where does accent come from?
It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce accent

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “accent”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈæk.sɛnt/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “accent”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “accent” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.