3 syllables: ex, pens, ive. Stress on pens.
ik-SPEN-siv
/ɪkˈspɛnsɪv/
expensive is pronounced ik-SPEN-siv (/ɪkˈspɛnsɪv/). It has three syllables (ex-pens-ive), with the stress on "pens". Expensive describes something that costs a lot of money; it implies high price or value. In everyday use, it often signals restraint, status, or premium quality. The word combines the prefix ex- with -pensive, echoing its Latin root and signaling costliness in various contexts, from shopping to budgeting and economics.
Expensive describes something that costs a lot of money; it implies high price or value. In everyday use, it often signals restraint, status, or premium quality. The word combines the prefix ex- with -pensive, echoing its Latin root and signaling costliness in various contexts, from shopping to budgeting and economics.
"That designer handbag is really expensive, but many people consider it a worthwhile investment."
"We decided to buy a cheaper laptop because the expensive model didn’t offer enough benefits for the price."
"Expensive tastes aren’t always reliable indicators of quality, but they do set expectations in luxury markets."
Pronunciation: /ɪkˈspɛnsɪv/ (US/UK/AU). Begin with a short, unstressed /ɪ/ in the first syllable, then stress the second syllable with /ˈspɛns/ containing an /s/ followed by /p/ and /ɛ/. End with /-sɪv/. Tip: keep the /sp/ cluster tight and avoid inserting a vowel between /s/ and /p/. Mouth: lips neutral, teeth close, tongue tip near the alveolar ridge for /s/ and /n/; for /v/, relax bottom lip against upper teeth. Audio cues: “ihk-SPEN-siv.”
Common errors: 1) Misplacing stress on the first syllable (ek-SPEN-sive) while English normally stresses the second syllable in adjectives. 2) Slurring /sp/ into /s/ or /p/ separately, producing /ɛkspɛnsɪv/ or /ekspɛnsɪv/ with weak /sp/. 3) Vowel quality of /ɛ/ turning into /eɪ/ or /æ/ depending on speaker. Correction: practice the /sp/ blend as a single unit, keep the second syllable stressed, and maintain a clear /ɛ/ vowel in /spɛns/.
US/UK/AU differences are subtle. In US and UK, the vowel in /ɛ/ in /spɛns/ is mid-front with lax tenseness; AU tends to be slightly more open in /ɛ/ and may have a lighter /v/ coloration. Rhoticity doesn’t affect pronunciation of expensive since it doesn’t include /r/. The ending /ɪv/ is typically a short, clipped vowel in all variants; Americans may reduce it slightly more in rapid speech. Overall, stress remains on the second syllable in all three dialects.
Two main challenges: the /sp/ consonant cluster requires precise articulation to avoid an extra vowel; and the mid-front /ɛ/ vowel can be mispronounced as /eɪ/ or /æ/ in faster speech. The ending /-sɪv/ must be short and quick, so the /ɪ/ sound should be compact rather than elongated. Practice by isolating the /sp/ blend with a quick, crisp release, and loop between /spɛns/ and /sɪv/ to lock timing.
Yes, the placement of stress on the second syllable is a key feature; it’s not a tri-syllable word where all syllables carry even weight. Also, the /sp/ cluster is central to the word’s identity; misplacing it or inserting a vowel breaks the natural rhythm. The word also ends with /-sɪv/, which contrasts with similar forms like expensive vs expense, so keep the final /v/ sound clearly voiced. These traits make the word recognizable and efficiently pronounced in fluent speech.
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Expensive comes from the Latin expensus, meaning weighed out or paid for, from ex-, ‘out of, thoroughly,’ and pendere, ‘to weigh.’ It traveled into Old French as espiense and espenser, evolving in Middle English to expensive. The term originally conveyed the idea of weighing or paying for goods, then broadened to describe something that requires a high price or costliness. The modern sense of expensive as “high in price” emerged by the 15th-16th centuries as markets and trade expanded. The shift reflects economic vocabulary where “priced” goods were distinguished from cheaper alternatives. The word’s form in English stabilized around expensive, retaining the -ive suffix common to adjectives describing attributes (as in expensive, massive, extensive), reinforcing its evaluative tone in discourse about value and cost.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "expensive" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "expensive"
-nse sounds
-nce sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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