In today’s English pronunciation lesson, you will learn how to pronounce advertisement properly. We are going to look at each of the syllables in detail, so that you never mispronounce this word again.


Before we get to the pronunciation of ‘advertisement’, we will begin by learning the form of the word that native speakers use in informal speech…

‘Advert’ Meaning in British English

The noun ‘advert’ /’æd.vɜːt/ is a clipping (shortening) of ‘advertisement’ (n) in British English. The word refers to images, emails and videos etc. that are used to influence potential customers to buy products. In informal conversation, British people say:

“Have you seen that advert?”

In American English, the word ‘advert’ isn’t used. They use the informal word ‘ad’ instead, as in; ‘There are too many ads on TV.”

How to Pronounce Advertisement

We will now learn the correct pronunciation of ‘advertisement’ in British English by breaking the word up into its four syllables. Skip to [5:14] in the video above to hear my pronunciation of advertisement.

The first syllable is unstressed and contains a schwa → /əd/

The second syllable carries the stress and contains a long vowel → /ˈvɜː/

The third syllable contains a short, unstressed vowel with a final /s/ → /tɪs/

The fourth syllable contains another schwa. → /mənt/

Now put all the syllables in the word together and pronounce ‘advertisement’ properly as /ədˈvɜː.tɪs.mənt/. Your pronunciation should now contain one long vowel (in the second syllable) and three other unstressed vowels.

If you don’t know how to read IPA (the symbols above), here is an interpreted spelling to help you pronounce ‘advertisement’:

ud-VER-tis-munt

Pronounce ‘Advertisement’ Properly

So that you remember the correct pronunciation to use, here are a couple of notes on the pronunciation:

  • The final syllable doesn’t sound the same as ‘meant’ /ment/ (the past simple & past participle of ‘mean’).
  • Your pronunciation of ‘advertisement’ should not contain the word ‘ties’ /taɪz/ anywhere inside it. *A tie is a long, thin piece of material that is worn around the collar of a shirt.

Now practise the pronunciation of ‘advertisement’ in an example sentence:

“That advertisement is not suitable for children.”

How to Pronounce ‘Advertise’

The verb-noun pair ‘advertise’ (v) and ‘advertisement’ (n) are pronounced differently. The verb contains a long vowel in the final syllable, but note that it does not carry the stress. ‘Advertise’ is stressed on the first syllable.

advertise /ˈæd.və.taɪz/

In interpreted spelling, ‘advertise’ sounds like AD-vuh-ties.

British vs American Pronunciation of ‘Advertisement’

The British and American pronunciations of ‘advertisement’ are different. The American English pronunciation of the word contains the word ‘ties’ inside it → /ˈæd.vɚˌtaɪz.mənt/. For a British English accent, this pronunciation should be avoided because it is an Americanism.

Pronunciation of ‘advertisement’ in British English

Thank you for watching this English pronunciation lesson and for removing a common mistake from your English with me!


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Jade Joddle grows your confidence and skill to shine when speaking English.

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