2 syllables: Per, son. Stress on Per.
PUR-suhn
/ˈpɝsən/
Person is pronounced PUR-suhn (/ˈpɝsən/). It has two syllables (Per-son), with the stress on "Per". Person is a common noun referring to a human being. In everyday usage it denotes an individual, distinct from others, with social identity and personal characteristics. The word appears across contexts from everyday talk to formal descriptions, and it can function as an agent, subject, or object in sentences.
nounPerson is a common noun referring to a human being. In everyday usage it denotes an individual, distinct from others, with social identity and personal characteristics. The word appears across contexts from everyday talk to formal descriptions, and it can function as an agent, subject, or object in sentences.
- You may overemphasize the second syllable, making it sound like per-SUN. Keep the primary stress on the first syllable: PER-son. - The first vowel can tilt toward /ɜ/ or /ɚ/; avoid letting it drift toward a pure /ɪ/ or /ɛ/. - In fast speech, the second syllable often contracts to a quick /sən/; practice separating it slightly before blending for fluency. - The /r/ is tricky: in rhotic accents, it must be linked to the preceding vowel; in non-rhotic accents, it may be silent and the second syllable governs the /sən/ sound. Practice with deliberate articulation, then normalize.
How to Pronounce Person
"She was a kind person who helped me with the project."
"Each person must present their passport at the border."
"In this room, there is no single person responsible for the error."
Pronounce it as /ˈpɜːr.sən/ in General American, with primary stress on the first syllable. In UK English, it’s /ˈpɜː.sən/ or /ˈpəː.sən/ depending on speaker, still stressing the first syllable. Start with a mid-back vowel as in ‘bird’ or ‘fur’ depending on your accent, then a light /r/ (or an r-colored vowel in non-rhotic accents), followed by a soft, unstressed second syllable /sən/. Keep the /p/ from a light release and end with a clear /n/. Audio references: you can check native pronunciation on Pronounce or Forvo for your target accent.
Common errors: 1) Misplacing stress on the second syllable, which changes rhythm; 2) Over-articulating the second vowel, making it sound like ‘pers-on’ instead of a schwa; 3) Mixing up the /ɜː/ and /ɜ/ quality, producing a clearer ‘puh-sun’ instead of the correct ‘purr-sun’ sound. To fix: keep primary stress on the first syllable, reduce the second vowel to a relaxed /ə/ or /ɪ/ depending on your accent, and keep a short, quick /s/ transition into /ən/ with a light nasal.
In General American, you’ll hear /ˈpɜːr.sən/ with a rhotic r and a tense /ɜː/ vowel; UK speakers may use /ˈpɜː.sən/ or /ˈpəː.sən/ with a shorter or non-rhotic r depending on region; Australian tends to be /ˈpɜː.sən/ or /ˈpəː.sən/ with a non-rhotic or light-rhotic tendency and a centralized vowel in quick speech. Notice the vowel quality: US often favors a fuller /ɜr/ diphthong in rapid speech, while UK/AU can be flatter. Also, the /r/ is less pronounced in non-rhotic varieties, especially when followed by a consonant.
Key challenges: 1) The mid-central /ɜː/ or /ɜ/ vowel lacks a direct equivalent in some languages, making it hard to sustain; 2) The /r/ can be subtle or silent depending on accent; 3) The second syllable /sən/ reduces quickly in fluent speech, risking a clipped or mis-timed consonant. Practice with slow deliberate articulation, then blend into natural speech by linking to the following word and keeping the /s/ clean before the /ən/.
There are no silent letters in ‘Person’; the word is stressed on the first syllable: PER-son. The second syllable uses a reduced vowel /ə/ or /ʌ/ depending on speaker, and the /n/ is clearly articulated at the end. The challenge lies in maintaining correct vowel quality in the first syllable while not over-emphasizing the second syllable in connected speech.
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- US: Emphasize the rhotacized first vowel /ɜr/ and a clear final /ən/. - UK: Often non-rhotic; the first syllable becomes /ˈpɜː/ with a stronger /ə/ in the second syllable; keep the /r/ non-voiced unless linking to a vowel. - AU: Similar to US but with a flatter first-syllable vowel and a softer /r/, sometimes omitted in rapid speech. Pay attention to the vowel length and the crisp /s/ before the /ən/. IPA references help: US /ˈɝː.sən/, UK /ˈpɜː.sən/, AU /ˈpəː.sən/.
Person comes from the Latin persona, meaning ‘mask’ or ‘character’ used in theatre. The Latin term evolved from the Etruscan persona; in Latin, persona referred to a stage mask representing a character, later extended to denote an individual or role within a drama. The English adoption around the 14th century kept the sense of ‘a human being with identity’ and gradually broadened to general usage for any human individual. Over time, the pronunciation softened from a more clipped, Latin-influenced form to the modern /ˈpɜːr.sən/ in British English and /ˈpɜːr.sən/ in many US varieties, with regional reductions in connected speech. The term also branches into compounds (personhood, personage) and phrases (no person, person-to-person), maintaining its core sense of individual human identity. First known uses appear in Middle English texts, often aligned with the Old French personne or person, illustrating the long-standing cultural emphasis on individual identity in social and legal contexts.”,
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "Person" and can often be used interchangeably.
🔄 These words have opposite meanings to "Person" and show contrast in usage.
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Words that rhyme with "Person"
-ion sounds
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