American and British English pronunciation differences

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Differences in pronunciation between American English (AmE) and British English (BrE) can be divided into:

differences in accent (i.e. phoneme inventory and realisation). See differences between General American and Received Pronunciation for the standard accents in the United States and Britain; for information about other accents see regional accents of English speakers.
differences in the pronunciation of individual words in the lexicon (i.e. phoneme distribution). In this article, transcriptions use Received Pronunciation (RP) to represent BrE and General American (GAm) to represent AmE.

In the following discussion

superscript ^A2 after a word indicates that the BrE pronunciation of the word is a common variant in AmE.
superscript ^B2 after a word indicates that the AmE pronunciation of the word is a common variant in BrE.
superscript ^A1 after a word indicates that the pronunciation given as BrE is also the most common variant in AmE.
superscript ^B1 after a word indicates that the pronunciation given as AmE is also the most common variant in BrE.

Stress

Subscript _a or _b means that the relevant unstressed vowel is also reduced to /ə/ or /ɨ/ in AmE or BrE, respectively.

French stress

For many loanwords from French where AmE has kept the original French final-syllable stress, BrE stresses an earlier syllable. French loanwords that differs in stress only are listed below.

BrE	AmE	words with relevant syllable stressed in each dialect^[1]^[2]
1st	last	ballet^AB2, barrage_a,^{[nb 1]} baton_ab, beret_a^{[nb 2]}, bidet, blasé^A2, bouffant^A2,^{[nb 3]} brasserie_b, brassiere_ab, brevet_ab^A2,^[3] brochure_b^B2,^{[nb 4]}^[4] buffet_a,^{[nb 5]}^[5] cachet^A2, café_ab, caffeine^A2, canard_a^B1,^[6] chagrin_a, chalet^A2, chiffon^AB2,^[7] cliché_a, collage_a^B2, coupé, croissant_a, debris_a^A2,^{[nb 6]} debut, décor^A2, detail_a^A2, figurine, flambé,^{[nb 7]} frappé, frontier^AB2, garage_a^B2,^{[nb 8]} gourmet^A2, lamé^{[nb 9]}, matinée, milieu^B2, mundane^AB2, negligee^A2, nonchalant_b^A2, nondescript, parquet_b, pastel^B2_b, pastille_b,^{[nb 10]} pâté,^{[nb 11]} précis^A2, sachet, salon_a, savant_ab^A2, solfège,^[8] sorbet,^{[nb 12]} soupçon,^[9] vaccine. Also some French names, including: Degas, Dijon,^[10] Dumas,^[11] Manet,^[12] Monet,^{[nb 13]}^[13] Renault_a,^{[nb 14]}^[14] Rimbaud.^{[nb 15]}^[15]
2nd	last	attaché, consommé_a, décolleté, déclassé, démodé,^[16] denouement, distingué, escargot, exposé, fiancé(e)^A2,^{[nb 16]} retroussé. Also some French names, including: Debussy_b, Dubonnet_a.
last	1st	address_b^A1 (noun), assay_b^AB2 (noun), decade_b^B1,^{[nb 17]}^[17] esquire_b*^A2, magazine^A2, mayonnaise^A2 tirade^A2, ((bi)p)artisan_a.^B1/2^{[nb 18]}
2nd	1st	artisanal^A1, liaison_ab^A2*^{[nb 19]},^[18] macramé_ab, Renaissance_ab,^{[nb 20]} reveille

Verbs ending in –ate

Most 2-syllable verbs ending -ate have first-syllable stress in AmE and second-syllable stress in BrE. This includes castrate, cremate^A2,^[19] dictate^A2, donate^A2, locate^A2, migrate, narrate_b^A2, placate_b^B2, prostrate, pulsate, rotate, serrate^A2, spectate, striate,^[20] translate^A1, vacate_b*^A2,^[21] vibrate^A2. Examples where AmE and BrE match include create, debate, equate, elate, negate; and mandate and probate with first-syllable stress. Derived nouns in -ator retains the distinction, but those in -ation do not. Also, migratory^B1 ^[22] and vibratory^B1 ^[23] sometimes retain the distinction.^[1]

Most longer -ate verbs are pronounced the same in AmE and BrE, but a few have first-syllable stress in BrE and second-syllable stress in AmE: elongate_a^A2, infiltrate^A2, remonstrate_ab^A2,^[24] tergiversate_a^A1^{[nb 21]}.^[25] For some derived adjectives ending -atory stress-shifting to -a(tory)- occurs in BrE. Among these cases are celebratory_a^[26] (BrE: /ˌsɛlᵻˈbreɪtəri/), compensatory_a,^[27] participatory_a,^[28] regulatory_a^B1.^[29] AmE stresses the same syllable as the corresponding -ate verb (except compensatory, where AmE stresses the second syllable^[30]). A further -atory difference is laboratory^B2: AmE /ˈlæbᵊrəˌtɔːri/ and BrE /ləˈbɒrətᵊri/.^[1]^[31]

Miscellaneous stress

There are a number of cases where same-spelled noun, verb and/or adjective have uniform stress in one dialect but distinct stress in the other (e.g. alternate, prospect): see initial-stress-derived noun.

The following table lists words not brought up in the discussion so far where the main difference between AmE and BrE is in stress. Usually it also follows a reduction of the unstressed vowel. Words marked with subscript _A or _B are exceptions to this, and thus retains a full vowel in the (relatively) unstressed syllable of AmE or BrE. A subsequent asterisk, _*, means that the full vowel is usually retained; a preceding _* means that the full vowel is sometimes retained.

Words with other points of difference are listed in a later table.

BrE	AmE	words with relevant syllable stressed in each dialect^[1]^[2]
1st	2nd	adult_B^AB2, aristocrat^AB2, Balthazar_A, basalt_B^A2, cerebral/cerebrum^A2, communal_B^A2,B2, concave/convex_AB^AB2, harass^AB2, illustrative^A2, inculcate^AB2, kilometre/kilometer^AB2,^{[nb 22]}^[32] omega_A, paprika_A^AB2, patina^A1, quadruple_AB^AB2, stalactite^A2, stalagmite^A2, Suez^A2*, subaltern^A2, thanksgiving_AB^B2, transference_A^A2, Ulysses_A
2nd	1st	ancillary_B, applicable^AB2,^[33] Augustine_B^A2, capillary, catenary, controversy^B1, corollary, defence/offense_A^A2 (sport), fritillary, guffaw^A1,^[34] mama/papa^AB2, marshmallow_AB,^{[nb 23]} medullary_B^AB2,^[35] miscellany,^{[nb 24]} patronal,^[36] predicative, pretence/pretense_A^A1, princess_*A^A2, saxophonist_B^B2, spread(-)eagled_AB,^[37] substratum_AB^A2, trachea_A^B2, weekend_AB^AB2
1st	3rd	obsolete_AB^AB2, opportune_AB, submarine_AB^AB2(noun)
2nd	3rd	advertisement, submariner^A2
3rd	1st	cockatoo_AB^AB2, hemoglobin_AB, margarine_B, Pyrenees_AB
3rd	2nd	arytenoid^A1, obscurantism_AB^A2,^[38] oregano_*A

Affixes

-ary,-ery,-ory,-mony, -ative, -bury,-berry

Where the syllable preceding the suffixes -ary,-ery, -ory, –mony or -ative is unstressed, AmE pronounces the antepenultimate syllable with a full vowel sound: /ˌɛri/ for -ary and -ery, /ˌɔːri/ for -ory and /ˌmoʊni/ for -mony. BrE reduces the vowel to a schwa or even elides it completely: /əri/ or /ri/, and /məni/. So military is AmE /ˈmɪləˌtɛri/ and BrE /ˈmɪlᵻtəri/ or /ˈmɪlᵻtri/,^[39] inventory is AmE /ˈɪnvənˌtɔːri/ and BrE /ˈɪnvəntᵊri/,^[40] and testimony is AmE /ˈtɛstᵻˌmoʊni/ and BrE /ˈtɛstᵻməni/.^[41] (The elision is avoided in carefully enunciated speech, especially with endings -rary,-rery,-rory.^{[citation needed]})

Where the syllable preceding -ary,-ery, -ory, –mony or -ative is stressed however, AmE also usually reduces the vowel: /əri/, /məni/. Exceptions include library,^[42] primary^A2,^[43] rosemary.^[44] (Pronouncing library as /ˈlaɪˌbɛri/ rather than /ˈlaɪˌbrɛri/ is highly stigmatized in AmE,^{[citation needed]} whereas in BrE, /ˈlaɪbri/ is common in rapid or casual speech.)

The suffix -berry is pronounced by similar rules, except that in BrE it may be full /ˌbɛri/ after an unstressed syllable, while in AmE it is usually full in all cases. Thus we have strawberry: BrE /ˈstrɔːbᵊri/, AmE /ˈstrɔːˌbɛri/, and whortleberry: BrE/AmE /ˈwɔːrtlˌbɛri/.

The placename component -bury (e.g. Canterbury) has a similar difference: AmE has a full vowel: /ˌbɛri/ wher BrE has a reduced or none at all: /bᵊri/.

Note that stress differences between the dialects occur with some words ending in -atory (listed above) and a few others like capillary (included in #Miscellaneous stress above).

Formerly the BrE–AmE distinction for adjectives carried over to corresponding adverbs ending -arily, -erily or -orily. However, nowadays some BrE speakers adopt the AmE practice of shifting the stress to the antepenultimate syllable: militarily is thus sometimes /ˌmɪlᵻˈtɛrᵻli/ rather than /ˈmɪlᵻtrᵻli/, although necessarily is in BrE often /ˈnɛsəsᵊrɪli/.^[45]

-ile

Words ending in unstressed -ile derived from Latin adjectives ending -ilis are mostly pronounced with a full vowel in BrE /aɪl/ but a reduced vowel or syllabic L in AmE /ˈˈəˈˈl/ (e.g. fertile rhymes with fur tile in BrE but with furtle in AmE).

AmE will (unlike BrE, except when indicated with^B2) have a reduced last vowel:^[1]

generally in docile,^{[nb 25]} facile, (in)fertile, fissile, fragile, missile, stabile (adjective), sterile, tensile, versatile, virile, volatile
usually in agile, decile, ductile,^[46] febrile,^{[nb 26]}^[47] futile, hostile, juvenile, (im)mobile (adjective & phone),^[48] nubile, projectile, puerile, reptile, servile, tactile, utile;^[49]
sometimes in domicile^B2,^{[nb 27]}^[50] infantile, pensile, percentile, senile.^{[nb 28]} textile
never in crocodile, exile, gentile, reconcile; nor to compounds of monosyllables (e.g. turnstile from stile).

In some words the pronunciation /iːl/ also comes into play:

BrE /aɪl/, AmE /iːl/: camomile^A1, mercantile^A2, mobile/stabile (decorations)^[51]
BrE /iːl/, AmE /ɪl/ or /ˈˈəˈˈl/: imbecile.
BrE /ɪl/, AmE /iːl/: rutile (BrE, AmE also /aɪl/).^[52]

Related endings -ility, -ilize, -iliary are pronounced the same in AmE as BrE.

-ine^[8]^[53]

The suffix -ine, when unstressed, is pronounced sometimes /aɪn/ (e.g. feline), sometimes /iːn/ (e.g. morphine) and sometimes /ɪn/ (e.g. medicine). Some words have variable pronunciation within BrE, or within AmE, or between BrE and AmE. Generally, AmE is more likely to favour /iːn/ or /ɪn/, and BrE to favour /aɪn/.

BrE /aɪn/, AmE (1) /iːn/: carbine^A2, Florentine^A2, philistine^A2, pristine^B1, serpentine^A2.

BrE /aɪn/, AmE (1) /iːn/ (2) /ɪn/: adamantine^A3.

BrE /aɪn/, AmE /ɪn/: turbine^AB2.

BrE /aɪn/, AmE (1) /ɪn/ (2) /aɪn/ (3) /iːn/: crystalline, labyrinthine.^[54]

BrE (1) /iːn/, AmE (1) /aɪn/ (2) /ɪn/: iodine ^A2B2.

Weak forms

The titles Saint and Sir^{[citation needed]} before a person's name have weak forms in BrE but not AmE: before vowels, [snt]^[55] and [sə].

Miscellaneous pronunciation differences

These tables list words pronounced differently but spelled the same. See also the table of words with different pronunciation reflected in the spelling.

Single differences

Words with multiple points of difference of pronunciation are in the table after this one. Accent-based differences are ignored. For example, Moscow is RP /ˈmɒskəʊ/ and GAm /ˈmɑːskaʊ/, but only the /oʊ/-/aʊ/ difference is highlighted here, since both the /ɒ/-/ɑː/ difference and the RP use of /əʊ/ rather than /oʊ/ are predictable from the accent. Also, tiara is listed with AmE /æ/; the marry–merry–Mary merger changes this vowel for many Americans. Some AmE types are listed as /ɒ/ where GAm merges to /ɑː/.

^A2 means that American speakers may use either pronunciation;^B2 means British speakers may use either pronunciation.

BrE	AmE	Words
/ɑː/	/æ/	Excluding words changed by the trap–bath split,^[56] (which affects most southern British speakers and almost no American speakers): banana, khaki^A2, locale^A2, macaque^AB2, morale, Nevada^A2,^[57] Pakistani^A2, panorama^A2, scenario^A2, soprano^A2, tiara^A2^[1]
/æ/	/ɑː/	"A" in the anglicised pronunciation of many foreign names and loanwords, e.g.: Caracas^B2, chianti^A2, Gulag, kebab,^[58] Las (placenames, e.g. Las Vegas), mafia^A2, Mombasa^A2, pasta, Picasso^A2, rallentando, shaman, Slovak^A2, Sri Lanka^A2, Vivaldi, wigwam.^[1] caveat^A2
/ɑː/	/eɪ/	charade, cicada^A2, gala^A3B2, laver (seaweed)^AB2,^[59] promenade^AB2, pro rata^AB2, tomato^A2, stratum^B2^{[nb 29]} ^[8]^[53]
/æ/	/eɪ/	basil^A2 (plant), macron^A2, (com)patriot^B2, (ex/re)patriate^B2, patronise^A2, phalanx^A2, plait^A2, Sabine, satrap^A2, satyr^A2 ^[8]^[53]
/eɪ/	/æ/	apparatus^A2, apricot^A2, comrade, dahlia^A2, data^A1, digitalis^A2, status^A1 ^[8]^[53]
/æ/	/ɒ/	twat^B2
/ɒ/	/æ/	wrath^{[nb 30]}
/oʊ/	/ɔː/	wont^A2 ^[1]
/ɑː/	/ɔː/	quark^AB2
/æ/	/ɔː/	asphalt ^[1]
/ɒ/	/ɔː/	alcohol^A2 ^[1]
/ɔː/	/aʊ/	trauma^AB2 ^[1]^[2]
/ɔː(l)/	/æl/	falcon^A2^{[nb 31]} ^[8]^[59]
/iː/	/ɛ/	aesthete, anaesthetize, breve^A2, Daedalus, devolution^AB2, ecumenical^B2, ephod^AB2, epoch^A2, epochal^B1,^[60] evolution^AB2, febrile^A2, Hephaestus,hygienic^A, Kenya^B2, lever^A2, methane^B2, Oedipus^A2, (o)estrogen, (o)estrus, p(a)edophile, penalize^A2, predecessor^A2, pyrethrin^A2, senile^A2, tercentenary^B2
/ɛ/	/iː/	Cecil^AB2, crematorium^A2, cretin, depot, leisure^A2, medieval^AB2, Petrarch^AB2, reconnoit(re/er)^A2, zebra^B2, zenith^AB2
/iː/	/eɪ/	eta, beta, quay^A2, theta, zeta, heinous^B1
/eɪ/	/iː/	deity^AB2, Helene^A2, Israel^A2, Haggai^[61]
/ɛ/	/eɪ/	ate^B2, mêlée^A2 ^[8]^[53]
/eɪ/	/ɛ/	again(st)^B2, nonpareil ^[8]^[53]
/ɒ/	/ʌ/	hovel^AB2, hover^A2. Also the strong forms of these function words: (every/some/no/any)body^A1, because^AB2 (and clipping 'cos/'cause), of^A2, from^A2, was^A2, what^A2
/ʌ/	/ɒ/	accomplice, accomplish, colander^B2, conjure^A2, constable^B2, Lombardy ^B2, monetary^A2, -monger^A2
/ʌ/	/ɜ:/	courage/-ous(ly), curry, current/-cy/-ly, hurry
/ɒ/	/oʊ/	Aeroflot, cognac, compost, cosmos^A2, Eros^A2, ethos^A2, homo-^AB2, Interpol, logos (singular)^A2, Lod, pathos^A2, pedagogy^A2, pogrom, polka^B2, produce (noun), realpolitik, Rosh Hashanah^A1, scone^AB2, shone, sojourn, troll^B2, yogurt
/oʊ/	/ɒ/	codify^A2, goffer, ogle^A2, process (noun), processor, progress (noun), project^B2(noun), sloth^AB2, wroth^B2
/ɪ/	/aɪ/	dynasty, housewifery,^[60] idyll, long-lived^A2,^[62] privacy^B2,^[63] simultaneous^A2, vicarious^AB2, vitamin^B2. See also -ine.^[1]
/aɪ/	/ɪ/	butyl^B2, diverge^A2, divulge^AB2, -is/zation^A2, minority^AB2, primer (schoolbook), synapse^B2. See also -ine.^[1]^[8]
/aɪ/	/eɪ/	Isaiah ^[1]
/aɪ/	/iː/	either^AB2, neither^AB2, Pleiades. See also -ine.
/iː/	/aɪ/	albino, migraine^B2. Also the prefixes anti-^A2, multi-^A2, semi-^A2 in loose compounds (e.g. in anti-establishment, but not in antibody). See also -ine.
/iː/	/ɪ/	been^B2 ^[64]
/ɛ/	/ɑ/	envelope^AB2
/æ/	/ɛ/	femme fatale^A2 pall-mall^A2^{[nb 32]}^[8]^[53]
/aʊ/	/uː/	nous^A2
/ʊ/	/ɪ/	kümmel
/ʊ/	/uː/	Buddha^A2
/ʊ/	/ʌ/	brusque^B3
/uː/	/aʊ/	route^A1,^[65]
/oʊ/	/uː/	brooch^A1
/uː/	/oʊ/	cantaloup(e)
/ʌ/	/oʊ/	covert (adj.)^AB2^[66]
/oʊ/	/aʊ/	Moscow^A2
/ɪ/	/iː/	pi(t)ta^B2, Tunisia
/uː/	/ʊ/	boulevard, hoof^A2, root^A1, snooker, woof^A2 (weaving)
/ɑː(r)/	/ɜr/	Berkeley, Berkshire, clerk, derby, Hertford. (The only AmE word with ⟨er⟩ = [ɑr] is sergeant.)
/ɪr/	/ɜr~ɚ/	chirrup^A2, squirrel, stirrup^A2, syrup^A2
/ɜː(r)/	/ɛr/	err^A2
/ɔː(r)/	/ər/	record (noun), stridor^AB2
/ə/	/ɒ/	Amazon, hexagon, melancholy,^[67] octagon, paragon, pentagon, phenomenon^A2, python^A2
/ɒ/	/ə/	Amos, condom, cosmos,^[68] Enoch
/ə/	/ɛ/	nonsense
/ɛ/	/ə/	Kentucky
/ɛ/	/ɨ/	parallelepiped^[69]
/ə/	/æ/	trapeze
/ə(r)/	/ɑr/	Madagascar^A2
/ə/	/eɪ/	Draconian^A2, hurricane^B2, surrogate^A2
/ə/	/oʊ/	borough^A2, thorough^A2, also place names such as Edinburgh^A2 (see also -ory and -mony)
/eɪ/	/ə/	template
/juː/	/uː/	barracuda, puma^A2 (as well as all words with pronunciations based predictably upon the yod-dropping phenomenon, the extent of which is much greater for American speakers than British speakers)
/juː/	/w/	iguana^B1,^[70] jaguar, Nicaragua
/uː/	/juː/	coupon^A2, fuchsine, Houston^B2
/ə(r)/	/jər/	figure^{A2 for the verb}
/ʊ/	/jʊ/	erudite^A2 ^[71]
/jʊ/	/ʊ/	duress, résumé^A2 ^[72]
/ɑː/	/ət/	nougat^{[nb 33]}
/eɪ/	/ət/	sorbet,^{[nb 34]} tourniquet.^[1]
/oʊ/	/ɒt/	Huguenot^A2
/ɜː/	/uː/	milieu
/ɜː(r)/	/ʊr/	connoisseur^A2, entrepreneur^A2
/ɜːz/	/uːs/	Betelgeuse, chanteuse, chartreuse^A2, masseuse
/z/	/s/	Aussie^A2, blouse (noun), complaisant^A2, crescent^B2, desideratum^AB2, diagnose^A2, erase, fuselage^A2, Glasgow^A2, parse, trans-^AB2 (in some words), usurp^AB2, valise
/s/	/z/	asthma, meso-^AB2
/ts/	/z/	piazza^A2
/ð/	/θ/	booth,^B2 loath(ly/some)^A2, smithy^A2, withstand(ing)^A2
/ʃ/	/ʒ/	Asia^B2, dispersion^A2, excursion^B2, Persia^B2, (in)version^A2
/dʒ/	/tʃ/	sandwich^B2 ^[73]
/s/	/ʃ/	Dionysius^A2 ^[74]
/sju:/	/ʃu:/	issue^B2 , tissue^B2 , sexual(ity)^B2^[75]^[76]
/z(j)u:/	/ʒu:/	Jesuit^A2 ^[77]^[78]
/sɪ/	/ʃ/	cassia^A2, Cassius^A2, hessian, omni-/prescience
/zɪ/ or /sɪ/	/ʃ/	transient^A2, nausea^A2
/zɪ/	/ʒ/	Frasier, Parisian, Malaysia, Tunisia
/tɪ/	/tʃi/	besti(al/ary)
/dɪ/	/dʒi/	cordial(ity)
/tɪ/	/ʃ/	consortium^B2,^[79] sentient^B2^[80]^[81]
/ɪ/	/ʃ/	celestial ^[82]
/ʃ/	/s/	commensurable^AB2 ^[83]
/s/	/ʃ/	licorice/liquorice^AB2
/ʃ/	/sk/	schedule^B2
/iːʃ/	/ɪtʃ/	niche^AB2
/t/	/θ/	Anthony^AB2
/t/	/d/	Taoism^A2
/v/	/f/	nephew^B1 (The old English pronunciation with /v/ has to a large extent been replaced by /f/ due to the spelling latinization of Middle English "neveu". The preference breakdown in BrE is /f/ 79%, /v/ 21%.)^[84]
(sounded)	(silent)	chthonic^B2,^[60]^[85] herb^A2,^[86] Knossos^B2,^[87] often^AB2, phthisis^B2, salve^A2,^[59] schism^AB2, solder, (un)toward(s)^A2(prep.),B2.^[1]
(silent)	(sounded)	medicine^B2, suggest^A2,.^[8]^[53] See also -ary -ery -ory -bury, -berry.

Multiple differences

The slashes normally used to enclose IPA phonemic transcriptions have been omitted from the following table to improve legibility.

Spelling	BrE IPA	AmE IPA	Notes
boehmite	(1) ˈbɜːmaɪt (2) ˈboʊmaɪt	(1) ˈbeɪmaɪt (2) ˈboʊmaɪt	The first pronunciations approximate German [ø] (spelled ⟨ö⟩ or ⟨oe⟩); the second ones are anglicized.
bouquet	(1) buːˈkeɪ (2) ˈbuːkeɪ	(1) boʊˈkeɪ (2) buːˈkeɪ
boyar	(1) ˈbɔɪɑː (2) boʊˈjɑː	(1) boʊˈjɑr (2) ˈbɔɪjər
buoy^A2	ˈbɔɪ	ˈbuːi	The British pronunciation occurs in America more commonly for the verb than the noun; still more in derivatives buoyant, buoyancy.
canton	kænˈtuːn	(1) kænˈtɑːn (2) kænˈtoʊn	difference is only in military sense "to quarter soldiers"
dilettante	dɪləˈtænti	(1) ˈdɪlətɑːnt (2) ˌdɪləˈtɑːnt	BrE reflects the word's Italian origin; AmE approximates more to French.
enquiry/inquiry	ɪŋˈkwaɪ(ə)ri	(1) ˈɪnkwəri (2) ɪŋˈkwaɪri	BrE uses two spellings, pronounced ɛŋˈkwaɪ(ə)ri and ɪŋˈkwaɪ(ə)ri. In AmE the word is usually spelled inquiry.
febrile	ˈfiːbraɪl	(1) ˈfɛbriːl (2) ˈfɛbrəl	The BrE pronunciation occurs in AmE
fracas	ˈfrækɑː	(1) ˈfreɪkəs (2) ˈfrækəs (3) frəˈkɑː	The BrE plural is French fracas /ˈfrækɑːz/. For AmE examples (1) and (2), the plural is anglicized fracases
glacier	(1) ˈɡlæsiə (2) ˈɡleɪsiə	ˈɡleɪʃər
impasse	(1) æmˈpɑːs (2) ˈæmpɑːs	(1) ˈɪm pæs (2) ɪmˈpæs	The BrE pronunciations are more true to the french.
jalousie	(1) ʒælʊˈziː (2) ˈʒælʊziː	ˈdʒæləsi
lapsang souchong	ˈlæpsæŋ suːʃɒŋ	ˌlɑːpsɑːŋ ˈsuːʃɑːŋ
lasso^AB2	ləˈsuː	ˈlæsoʊ
lieutenant	(1) lɛfˈtɛnənt (2) ləˈtɛnənt	luːˈtɛnənt	The 2nd British pronunciation is restricted to the Royal Navy. Standard Canadian and Australian pronunciation is the same as the British.
lychee	(1) ˈliːtʃiː (2) laɪˈtʃiː	ˈliːtʃiː	Spelling litchi has pronunciation /ˈlɪtʃiː/. The BrE pronunciation /laɪˈtʃiː/ also occurs in AmE.
mama^[88]	(1) ˈmamə (2) məˈmɑː	ˈmɑːmə
Molière	ˈmɒliɛə	moʊlˈjɛr
moustache^[89]	mʊˈstɑːʃ	ˈmʌs.tæʃ
oblique	əbˈliːk	əbˈlaɪk	AmE is as BrE except in military sense "advance at an angle"
Pakistan^A2 ^[90]	ˌpɑːkɪˈstɑːn	ˈpæk əˌstæn
penchant	pɑ̃ˈʃɑ̃	ˈpɛntʃənt	The AmE pronunciation is anglicized; the BrE is French.
penult	pɛˈnʌlt	(1) ˈpiːnʌlt (2) pɪˈnʌlt
phthisic^[91]	(1) ˈ(f)θaɪsɪk (2) ˈtaɪsɪk	(1) ˈtɪzɪk (2) ˈθɪzɪk
premature^[92]	(1)ˈpremətʃə (2) ˈprɛmətjʊə	(1)ˌpriːməˈtʃʊr (2) ˌpriːməˈtʊr
premier^A3	(1) ˈprɛmjə (2) ˈprɛmɪə	(1) prɪmˈɪər (2) ˈpriːmɪər
première	ˈprɛmɪɛə	(1) prɪˈmɪər (2) prɪmˈjɛr
provost^A2 ^[93]	ˈprɒvəst	(1) ˈproʊvoʊst
quinine	ˈkwɪniːn	(1) ˈkwaɪnaɪn (2) ˈkwɪnaɪn
resource	(1) rɨˈzɔːs (2) rɨˈsɔːs	ˈriːsɔːrs
respite	ˈrɛspaɪt	(1) ˈrɛspɪt (2) rɨˈspaɪt
reveille	rɪˈvæliː	ˈrɛvəli
slough	slaʊ	slʌf	sense "bog"; in metaphorical sense "gloom", the BrE pronunciation is common in AmE. Homograph "cast off skin" is /slʌf/ everywhere.
Tunisia	tjuːˈnɪziə	(1) tuˈniʒə (2) tuˈniʃə
vase^A3 ^[94]	vɑːz	(1) veɪs (2) veɪz
Z (the letter)	zɛd	ziː	The spelling of this letter as a word corresponds to the pronunciation: thus Commonwealth (including, Canada) zed and U.S. zee.

Notes

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References

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↑ ^1.00 ^1.01 ^1.02 ^1.03 ^1.04 ^1.05 ^1.06 ^1.07 ^1.08 ^1.09 ^1.10 ^1.11 ^1.12 ^1.13 ^1.14 ^1.15 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
↑ ^2.0 ^2.1 ^2.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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↑ ^53.0 ^53.1 ^53.2 ^53.3 ^53.4 ^53.5 ^53.6 ^53.7 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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↑ ^59.0 ^59.1 ^59.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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↑ See pronunciation note at Dictionary.com
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↑ OED entry
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American and British English pronunciation differences

Contents