How to pronounce bench
Say it like BENCH. Bench is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress.
Click the play button next to American or British to hear how to pronounce bench. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- BENCH
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Bench pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- BENCHSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "e" in bed.
American vs British pronunciation of bench
American and British speakers say bench in essentially the same way: /bɛntʃ/ in the US and /bɛntʃ/ in the UK.
British respelling: BENCH.
What does bench mean?
- a long seat for more than one person
- a level shelf of land interrupting a declivity (with steep slopes above and below)
- persons who administer justice
- take out of a game; of players
- exhibit on a bench“bench the poodles at the dog show”
Where does bench come from?
Cognate with Scots benk, bink (“bench”), West Frisian bank (“bench”), Dutch bank (“bench”), German Bank (“bench”), Danish bænk (“bench”), Swedish bänk (“bench”), Icelandic bekkur (“bench”).
Words that rhyme with bench
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of bench.
Questions about saying bench
How do you pronounce bench?
Say BENCH. The American pronunciation is /bɛntʃ/. In British English it is /bɛntʃ/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in bench?
Bench is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: BENCH.
Do Americans and Brits say bench the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /bɛntʃ/ and the British form is /bɛntʃ/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.