How to pronounce within in American English
wih·DHIHN
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Americans pronounce within as wih-DHIHN (/wɪˈðɪn/). Stress falls on the second syllable — keep everything else short and quick.
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"He reviewed his notes within twenty-four hours of the lecture."
hee ruh·VYOOD hihz NOHTS wih·DHIHN TWEHN·tee FOR OW·erz uhv dhuh LEHK·cher
"I encourage open dialogue and constructive criticism within the group."
ahy uhn·KUR·ihj OH·puhn DAHY·uh·lahg and kuhn·STRUHK·tuhv KRIH·duh·sih·zuhm wih·DHIHN dhuh GROOP
"I encourage you to seek out mentorship opportunities within the company."
ahy uhn·KUR·ihj yoo tuh SEEK OWT MEHN·ter·shihp ah·per·TOO·nuh·teez wih·DHIHN dhuh KUHM·puh·nee
"She set a goal to run a 5k race within three months."
shee SEHT uh GOHL tuh RUHN uh FAHYV·KAY RAYS wuh·DHIHN THREE MUHNTHS
"The concert tickets sold out within minutes of being released."
dhuh KAHN·sert TIH·kuhts SOHLD OWT wuh·DHIHN MIH·nuhts uhv BEE·uhng ruh·LEEST
Watch out
Common pronunciation mistakes in American English.
The textbook way isn't wrong — it's just not how anyone actually says it.
01
Stressing the wrong syllable.
Stress falls on the second syllable, not the others. Stretch DHIHN — keep everything else short and quick.
WIH·dhihn→wih·DHIHN
Questions
Questions people ask about this.
How is "within" stressed in American English?
Stress falls on the second syllable — say "DHIHN" with a longer, fuller vowel and keep every other syllable short and quick. The respell "wih-DHIHN" marks the stressed syllable in capitals so the rhythm is easy to read at a glance.
Is the American pronunciation of "within" 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 "wih-DHIHN" reflects the casual American form; British dictionaries typically print a citation form with crisper consonants and different vowel choices.
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