How to pronounce dense
Say it like DENS. Dense 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 dense. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- DENS
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Dense pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- DENSSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "e" in bed.
American vs British pronunciation of dense
American and British speakers say dense in essentially the same way: /dɛns/ in the US and /dɛns/ in the UK.
British respelling: DENS.
What does dense mean?
- permitting little if any light to pass through because of denseness of matter“dense smoke”“heavy fog”
- hard to pass through because of dense growth“dense vegetation”“thick woods”
- having high relative density or specific gravity“dense as lead”
Similar and opposite words
Similar meaning
Words that rhyme with dense
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of dense.
Questions about saying dense
How do you pronounce dense?
Say DENS. The American pronunciation is /dɛns/. In British English it is /dɛns/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in dense?
Dense is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: DENS.
Do Americans and Brits say dense the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /dɛns/ and the British form is /dɛns/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.