How to pronounce embezzlement in American English

IPA /ɛmˈbɛzəlmənt/ Syllables 4 · ehm·beh·zuhl·muhnt Stress 2nd syllable

ehm·BEH·zuhl·muhnt

Start here

Americans pronounce embezzlement as ehm-BEH-zuhl-muhnt (/ɛmˈbɛzəlmənt/). The unstressed syllable reduces to a lazy schwa — almost a quick "uh" — instead of being pronounced fully. Stress falls on the second syllable — keep everything else short and quick.

Now you try.

Record yourself saying "embezzlement" and play it back. The mic stays on your device — nothing's uploaded.

Ready when you are

Tap the mic to start

Preview your accent profile

Get your accent profile and 5-axes assessment.

Sounds

75%

Clarity

68%

Stress

78%

Intonation

65%

Fluency

62%

Overall assessment

Our AI coach listens to your recording and grades 5 dimensions of pronunciation — then tells you exactly what to fix next.

72% Noticeable accent

Common mistakes

Treating every L the same.

The L in "embezzlement" is a dark L — the back of the tongue rises toward the soft palate, adding a small "uh" quality before the L. Dark L adds a small schwa-like "uh" before the L. The back of the tongue lifts toward the soft palate.

Releasing the final consonant with a puff of air.

In "embezzlement", the "" is not released — the articulators get into position but hold without the burst of air. Air stops but there's no release burst — the articulators hold position.

Unlock the full report in the app

Why it sounds different

Why "embezzlement" sounds like ehm·BEH·zuhl·muhnt.

In "embezzlement", the "" is not released — the articulators get into position but hold without the burst of air. This is called the Unreleased Stops, a hallmark of natural-sounding American speech. It comes out as ehm·BEH·zuhl·muhnt.

In real conversation

Hear "embezzlement" in the wild.

Click any sentence to see the full breakdown — every link, every reduction, every flap-T.

"The grand jury indicted him on multiple counts of embezzlement."

dhuh GRAND JUUR·ee ihn·DAHY·duhd hihm ahn MUHL·tuh·puhl KOWNTS uhv ehm·BEH·zuhl·muhnt

Watch out

Common pronunciation mistakes in American English.

The textbook way isn't wrong — it's just not how anyone actually says it.

Treating every L the same.

embezzlement→ehm·BEH·zuhl·muhnt

Releasing the final consonant with a puff of air.

In "embezzlement", the "" is not released — the articulators get into position but hold without the burst of air. Air stops but there's no release burst — the articulators hold position.

embezzlement→ehm·BEH·zuhl·muhnt

Inserting a vowel before the syllabic consonant.

In "embezzlement", the short unstressed vowel before "" disappears — the schwa is absorbed and the "" becomes the syllable nucleus on its own. Schwa is absorbed — consonant becomes the syllable nucleus.

embezzlement→ehm·BEH·zuhl·muhnt

Stressing the wrong syllable.

Stress falls on the second syllable, not the others. Stretch BEH — keep everything else short and quick.

EHM·beh·ZUHL·MUHNT→ehm·BEH·zuhl·muhnt

Questions

Questions people ask about this.

How is "embezzlement" stressed in American English?

Stress falls on the second syllable — say "BEH" with a longer, fuller vowel and keep every other syllable short and quick. The respell "ehm-BEH-zuhl-muhnt" marks the stressed syllable in capitals so the rhythm is easy to read at a glance.

Why does the third syllable in "embezzlement" reduce to "uh"?

Unstressed syllables in American English collapse toward a schwa — a lazy, neutral "uh" sound. The full vowel is what textbooks teach, but in actual American speech every unstressed vowel reduces. The respell "ehm-BEH-zuhl-muhnt" shows the reduced form so you can hear the casual rhythm directly.

Is the American pronunciation of "embezzlement" different from British English?

American English uses different vowel shapes, a relaxed retroflex R, and connected-speech tricks like flap-T and glottal-stop T that British Received Pronunciation generally avoids. The respell "ehm-BEH-zuhl-muhnt" reflects the casual American form; British dictionaries typically print a citation form with crisper consonants and different vowel choices.

Now you try.

Get your accent profile and 5-axes assessment.

Overall assessment

Common mistakes

Treating every L the same.

Releasing the final consonant with a puff of air.

Why "embezzlement" sounds like ehm·BEH·zuhl·muhnt.

Hear "embezzlement" in the wild.

Words that work the same way.

Common pronunciation mistakes in American English.

Treating every L the same.

Releasing the final consonant with a puff of air.

Inserting a vowel before the syllabic consonant.

Stressing the wrong syllable.

Questions people ask about this.

Stop reading about "embezzlement". Start saying it.