3 syllables: Re, ven, ue. Stress on Re.
REV-uh-noo
/ˈɹɛvəˌnu/
Revenue is pronounced REV-uh-noo (/ˈɹɛvəˌnu/). It has three syllables (Re-ven-ue), with the stress on "Re". Revenue is the income generated from selling goods or services, especially before expenses are deducted. In business and economics, it refers to the top-line figure reported on financial statements, representing the total earned before costs are subtracted. It is distinct from profit, which is revenue minus expenses. The word is commonly used in finance, accounting, and corporate reporting.
nounRevenue is the income generated from selling goods or services, especially before expenses are deducted. In business and economics, it refers to the top-line figure reported on financial statements, representing the total earned before costs are subtracted. It is distinct from profit, which is revenue minus expenses. The word is commonly used in finance, accounting, and corporate reporting.
- You focus too much on the final vowel and neglect the weak middle vowel. Make sure the sequence is /ˈrɛvə/ + /nu/ with a clear schwa before the final vowel. - If you drop the middle schwa, you’ll sound clipped. Keep it as /ə/ to preserve the natural rhythm of the word. - Don’t over-elongate the final /u/; keep it close to the target. - Sometimes speakers re-stress the second syllable; maintain first-syllable stress to align with standard usage. - Practice with connected speech; avoid isolating syllables which makes you sound unnatural.
"The company reported record revenue for the fourth quarter."
"Tax revenue increased after changes to the tax code."
"Global revenue grew despite the downturn in some markets."
Pronunciation: /ˈrɛvəˌnu/ (US, two primary stresses then a final schwa with /u/). In many US pronunciations you’ll hear REH-və-noo, with a light, unstressed second syllable. In careful pronunciation, emphasize the first syllable (RE-və-nu) and ensure the final /u/ is a clear, rounded vowel. Mouth position: start with a relaxed lips for /r/, then mid-central /ə/; finish with /nu/ where lips round slightly for the /uː/ or /u/ sound. Audio reference: listen to financial news anchors or diction tutorials for /ˈrɛvəˌnu/ and compare with /ˈrevənjuː/ (UK).
Common mistakes include misplacing stress and mispronouncing the final vowel. 1) Stressing the second syllable too much (re-VE-nue instead of RE-və-nu). 2) Rendering the final /nu/ as /niː/ or /njuː/ without a proper schwa in the middle, producing rev-uh-nyoo. 3) Flattening the vowel in the first syllable to /ɪ/ or /ɛ/ across dialects. Correction: keep first syllable stressed with /ˈrɛvə/ in US; keep the middle schwa /ə/ and finish with a rounded /u/ or /juː/ depending on accent. Practice with minimal pairs focusing on stress and vowel quality.
US tends to /ˈrɛvəˌnu/ with a rhotic R and a clear /ə/; UK often /ˈrevənjuː/ or /ˈrɛvənjuː/ with a non-rhotic R and a longer final vowel; Australia is closer to /ˈrɛvənjuː/ or /ˈreːvənjuː/, with a more clipped /ə/ and a rounded final /uː/. In all, the first syllable remains stressed, but vowel quality and rhoticity vary. Listen for the presence or absence of post-vocalic R, and the length of the final vowel. IPA references: US /ˈrɛvəˌnu/; UK /ˈrevənjuː/; AU /ˈrevəˌnjuː/ (approximate).
The difficulty mainly comes from the two-syllable rhythm and the sequence /ˈrɛvə/ followed by /nu/ where the /ə/ is a weak schwa and the /u/ can shift to /juː/ in some accents. For non-rhotic speakers, the R is less pronounced, which changes the perceived rhythm. Additionally, the final /nu/ can blend with a preceding /ə/, leading to a slurred or merged sound in rapid speech. Focus on clear mid-schwa and a rounded, audible final vowel.
The noun revenue (singular) is pronounced with the same initial stress pattern as the plural revenues; however, in plural usage many speakers reduce to /ˈrɛvəˌnuːz/ or /ˈrevənjuːz/, with the final /z/ or /z/ voiced affricate. The singular form ends with /nu/ or /njuː/ depending on accent. In careful speech, keep the final vowel distinct in singular, but in fast speech you may hear a z-sound attachment in plural contexts. Maintain the /ˈrɛvə/ portion consistent across both forms.
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- US: rhotic R; try /ˈrɛvəˌnu/ with a pronounced R at the start. - UK: non-rhotic R; /ˈrevənjuː/ or /ˈrɛvənjuː/ with a longer final vowel; avoid extra R sound. - AU: blends US and UK patterns; /ˈrevənjuː/ or /ˈrɛvənuː/ with a rounded final vowel and more back vowels. - Vowel quality matters: /e/ in /ˈrɛ/ is more open in US; UK uses a closer /eɪ/ sound in some dialects; listen to native speech and mimic the mouth shape. - Practice with minimal pairs to contrast /ˈrɛvə/ vs /ˈrevən/; this helps with schwa and final /u/.
Revenue comes from the Old French revenu, meaning ‘returned’ or ‘income’, which itself derives from the Latin revenire ‘to return, come back’. The word entered English through Anglo-Norman commerce and legal language, where it signified the income of a lord or estate. Over the centuries, revenue broadened from feudal or royal income to modern business accounting, where it denotes the total amount earned from selling goods or services before expenses. The early sense was tied to what was “returned” to the treasury or to a benefactor; as trade and corporate structures evolved, revenue became the standard financial metric at the top line. First known English usage dates to the late medieval or early modern period, with sustained usage in 16th- to 18th-century accounting texts and mercantile law, formalizing its role in financial reporting. Today, revenue is a fundamental term across finance, economics, and business strategy, often used alongside profit, gross margin, and cash flow.
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Words that rhyme with "Revenue"
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