How to pronounce contemporary
Say it like kun-TEM-puh-rer-ee. Contemporary has five syllables, and the main stress falls on the second one (TEM).
Click the play button next to American or British to hear how to pronounce contemporary. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- kun
- TEM
- puh
- rer
- ee
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Contemporary pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- kunKeep this part quick and light. The vowel is the relaxed "uh" in about.
- TEMSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "e" in bed.
- puhKeep this part quick and light. The vowel is the relaxed "uh" in about.
- rerGive this part a little weight. The vowel is the "e" in bed.
- eeKeep this part quick and light. The vowel is the "ee" in see.
American vs British pronunciation of contemporary
American and British speakers say contemporary in essentially the same way: /kənˈtɛmpəˌrɛri/ in the US and /kənˈtɛmpərəri/ in the UK.
British respelling: kun-TEM-puh-ruh-ree.
What does contemporary mean?
- characteristic of the present“contemporary trends in design”“the role of computers in modern-day medicine”
- belonging to the present time“contemporary leaders”
- occurring in the same period of time“a rise in interest rates is often contemporaneous with an increase in inflation”“the composer Salieri was contemporary with Mozart”
- a person of nearly the same age as another
Where does contemporary come from?
From Medieval Latin contemporārius, from Latin con- (“with, together”) + temporārius, an adjective derived from tempus (“time”).
Questions about saying contemporary
How do you pronounce contemporary?
Say kun-TEM-puh-rer-ee. The American pronunciation is /kənˈtɛmpəˌrɛri/. In British English it is /kənˈtɛmpərəri/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in contemporary?
Contemporary has five syllables, and the main stress falls on the second one (TEM). Broken into parts: kun · TEM · puh · rer · ee.
Do Americans and Brits say contemporary the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /kənˈtɛmpəˌrɛri/ and the British form is /kənˈtɛmpərəri/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.