How to pronounce expensive in American English

IPA /əkˈspɛnsəv/ Syllables 3 · uhk·spehn·suhv Stress 2nd syllable

uhk·SPEHN·suhv

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Americans pronounce expensive as uhk-SPEHN-suhv (/əkˈspɛnsəv/). 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.

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Sounds

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Clarity

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Stress

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Intonation

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Fluency

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Common mistakes

Stressing the wrong syllable.

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

Pronouncing the first syllable too fully.

Don't pronounce the first syllable too fully. The unstressed syllable reduces to a schwa — the lazy "uh" sound — in casual speech.

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In real conversation

Hear "expensive" in the wild.

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"I usually take the subway to work because parking is expensive."

ahy YOO·zhoo·uh·lee TAYK dhuh SUHB·way tuh WURK buh·KUHZ PAR·kuhng ihz uhk·SPEHN·suhv

"It won't be too expensive, will it?"

iht WOHNT bee TOO uhk·SPEHN·suhv wihl iht

"The clothing in that store is expensive."

dhuh KLOH·dhuhng ihn dhat STOR ihz uhk·SPEHN·suhv

"The golf clubs are expensive but worth the investment."

dhuh GAHLF KLUHBZ ar uhk·SPEHN·suhv buht WURTH dhee ihn·VEHST·muhnt

"The wedding dress was elegant but expensive."

dhuh WEH·duhng DREHS wuhz EH·luh·guhnt buht uhk·SPEHN·suhv

Watch out

Common pronunciation mistakes in American English.

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

Stressing the wrong syllable.

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

UHK·spehn·SUHV→uhk·SPEHN·suhv

Pronouncing the first syllable too fully.

Don't pronounce the first syllable too fully. The unstressed syllable reduces to a schwa — the lazy "uh" sound — in casual speech.

UHK·SPEHN·suhv→uhk·SPEHN·suhv

Questions

Questions people ask about this.

How is "expensive" stressed in American English?

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

Why does the first syllable in "expensive" 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 "uhk-SPEHN-suhv" shows the reduced form so you can hear the casual rhythm directly.

Is the American pronunciation of "expensive" 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 "uhk-SPEHN-suhv" reflects the casual American form; British dictionaries typically print a citation form with crisper consonants and different vowel choices.

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Common mistakes

Stressing the wrong syllable.

Pronouncing the first syllable too fully.

Hear "expensive" in the wild.

Words that work the same way.

Common pronunciation mistakes in American English.

Stressing the wrong syllable.

Pronouncing the first syllable too fully.

Questions people ask about this.

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