How to pronounce spend
Say it like SPEND. Spend 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 spend. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- SPEND
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Spend pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- SPENDSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "e" in bed.
American vs British pronunciation of spend
American and British speakers say spend in essentially the same way: /spɛnd/ in the US and /spɛnd/ in the UK.
British respelling: SPEND.
What does spend mean?
- use up a period of time in a specific way“how are you spending your summer vacation?”
- pay out“spend money”
- spend completely“I spend my pocket money in two days”
Where does spend come from?
Cognate with Old High German spentōn (“to consume, use, spend”) (whence German spenden (“to donate, provide”)), Middle Dutch spenden (“to spend, dedicate”), Old Icelandic spenna (“to spend”).
Similar and opposite words
Similar meaning
Words that rhyme with spend
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of spend.
Questions about saying spend
How do you pronounce spend?
Say SPEND. The American pronunciation is /spɛnd/. In British English it is /spɛnd/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in spend?
Spend is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: SPEND.
Do Americans and Brits say spend the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /spɛnd/ and the British form is /spɛnd/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.