How to pronounce ten
Say it like TEN. Ten 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 ten. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- TEN
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Ten pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- TENSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "e" in bed.
American vs British pronunciation of ten
American and British speakers say ten in essentially the same way: /tɛn/ in the US and /tɛn/ in the UK.
British respelling: TEN.
What does ten mean?
- the cardinal number that is the sum of nine and one; the base of the decimal system
- one of four playing cards in a deck with ten pips on the face
- being one more than nine
Where does ten come from?
From Middle English ten, tene, from Old English tīen, from Proto-West Germanic *tehun, from Proto-Germanic *tehun, from Proto-Indo-European *déḱm̥.
Similar and opposite words
Similar meaning
Words that rhyme with ten
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of ten.
Questions about saying ten
How do you pronounce ten?
Say TEN. The American pronunciation is /tɛn/. In British English it is /tɛn/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in ten?
Ten is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: TEN.
Do Americans and Brits say ten the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /tɛn/ and the British form is /tɛn/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.