How to pronounce patience
Say it like PAY-shuns. Patience has two syllables, and the main stress falls on the first one (PAY).
Click the play button next to American or British to hear how to pronounce patience. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- PAY
- shuns
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Patience pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- PAYSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "ay" in day.
- shunsKeep this part quick and light. The vowel is the relaxed "uh" in about.
American vs British pronunciation of patience
American and British speakers say patience in essentially the same way: /ˈpeɪʃəns/ in the US and /ˈpeɪʃəns/ in the UK.
British respelling: PAY-shuns.
What does patience mean?
- good-natured tolerance of delay or incompetence
- a card game played by one person
Where does patience come from?
Inherited from Middle English pacience, from Old French pacience (modern French patience), from Latin patientia (“suffering; endurance, patience”), from patiens, present active participle of patior (“suffer, experience, wait”), ultimately f
Similar and opposite words
Opposite meaning
Questions about saying patience
How do you pronounce patience?
Say PAY-shuns. The American pronunciation is /ˈpeɪʃəns/. In British English it is /ˈpeɪʃəns/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in patience?
Patience has two syllables, and the main stress falls on the first one (PAY). Broken into parts: PAY · shuns.
Do Americans and Brits say patience the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /ˈpeɪʃəns/ and the British form is /ˈpeɪʃəns/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.