How to pronounce "amnesty" in English
ˈæm.nə.sti
AM·nə·stee
Primary stress: AM
Hear native speakers say amnesty in context across real video clips
violate the right to life. >> Nasim Papayianni, Iran campaigner at Amnesty International, we appreciate your insights today. Thanks so much for your time. >> Thank you for your time. your time. >> Thank you for your time.
Linguistic Pronunciation Masterclass: “amnesty”
Phonetic mechanics, syllable architecture, and conversational cadence
Syllable Architecture & Stress Distribution
AM
Elevated pitch, sustained vowel length, and full acoustic clarity.
nə
Neutral schwa (⁄ə⁄): relaxed jaw, brief unstressed breath.
stee
Neutral schwa (⁄ə⁄): relaxed jaw, brief unstressed breath.
Primary emphasis falls on the first syllable ("AM"). Raise your pitch and sustain the vowel length on this syllable while relaxing the surrounding syllables.
Common Pronunciation Traps & Learner Mistakes
The Trap: Pronouncing a hard, aspirated [tʰ] in casual conversation can sound overly formal in North America.
How Native Speakers Say It: In American English, a single "t" between vowels quickly taps against the alveolar ridge like a soft "d" ([ɾ]). In British English, maintain a crisp aspirated [tʰ].
Connected Speech & Natural Conversational Flow
When "amnesty" is followed by a word starting with a vowel, glide the final consonant into the opening vowel (e.g. "amnesty is" sounds like "amnesty-iz").
Maintain the stress-timed rhythm of English: compress unstressed syllables rapidly so the beat of "amnesty" aligns naturally with adjacent words.
Authentic Spoken Quotes from Native Video Context
“Amnesty International, we appreciate your insights today.”— Native SpeakerWatch clip
“Amnesty International says political opponents were held and executed in their thousands the group says it has evidence”— Native SpeakerWatch clip
“Amnesty International. And they've got these morally upstanding snacks, 'cause it's not pretzel and potato chips.”— Native SpeakerWatch clip
“amnesty and and those deers also for from stories that we find out through the government”— Native SpeakerWatch clip
“amnesty to three million.”— Native SpeakerWatch clip
“amnesty database with the on on github with the repository so let's load the”— Native SpeakerWatch clip
Practice Speaking “amnesty”
Listen to native pronunciation, record yourself repeating the sentence into your microphone, and receive real-time word-by-word accuracy scoring.
Amnesty International, we appreciate your insights today.
Hear it in context: “amnesty”
1,289 clipsThe English word “amnesty” is transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) as ˈæm.nə.sti (phonetic respelling: AM-nə-stee). Phonologically, it consists of 3 syllables (AM · nə · stee), with primary lexical stress placed on the 1st (initial) syllable (AM). Grammatically, “amnesty” functions as a noun, verb and acts as an English heteronym where syllable stress shifts between noun (initial-syllable stress) and verb (second-syllable stress) usage. SayItVid indexes 1,289 authentic English video clips demonstrating how native speakers articulate “amnesty” in natural connected speech across American (US: 8 sampled), British (UK), and Australian (AUS) accents.
Spoken Video Transcripts & Contextual Quotes (5 Verified Clips)
- 🇺🇸 USClip #1 · @8:25
“violate the right to life. >> Nasim Papayianni, Iran campaigner at Amnesty International, we appreciate your insights today. Thanks so much for your time. >> Thank you for your time. your time. >> Thank you for your time.”
- 🇺🇸 USClip #2 · @0:12
“a million people have been killed this is said NAA prison a secret jail where Amnesty International says political opponents were held and executed in their thousands the group says it has evidence their thousands the group says it has evidence”
- 🇺🇸 USClip #3 · @9:27
“progressive, enlightened stores where all the cashiers look like they're on loan from Amnesty International. And they've got these morally upstanding snacks, 'cause it's not pretzel and potato chips. And they've got these morally upstanding snacks, 'cause it's not pretzel and potato chips.”
- 🇺🇸 USClip #4 · @18:45
“you a lot of them that probably you not related to them. But we sing up um amnesty and and those deers also for from stories that we find out through the government stories that we find out through the government”
- 🇺🇸 USClip #5 · @1:50
“solutions to prevent the third wave of illegal immigration. Ronald Reagan gave amnesty to three million. Now we have 12. What I have to do to sell this in South Carolina is to prove to the people of my state we're not going to have a South Carolina is to prove to the people of my state we're not going to have a”
Definition & Meaning: “amnesty”
- Forgetfulness; cessation of remembrance of wrong; oblivion.
- An act of the sovereign power granting oblivion, or a general pardon, for a past offense, as to subjects concerned in an insurrection.
- To grant a pardon (to a group).
Example Sentences (3)
- “Argentina has seen few legal issues as contentiously debated as these two laws of amnesty during the last two decades. […] Pursuant to the Convention on Forced Disappearance, amnesties may not contemplate a statutory limitation period less than that corresponding to the gravest crime punishable by domestic laws, provided there is a pre-existing domestic norm of “fundamental character” requiring that limitation.”
- “Shortly after the end of military rule in 1983, the Argentinean National Congress passed legislation that effectively amnestied many persons who allegedly committed human rights violations such as torture, extra-judicial killing, and forced disappearance. […] In other words, a government may be justified in amnestying military actions because the alternative would result in the destruction of the democratic state.”
- “Amnesty International, we appreciate your insights today. Thanks so much for your time. >> Thank you for your time.”
Common Phrases & Collocations
Pronounce: “amnesty”
- Pronunciation:
- AM-nə-stee
- Syllables:
- AM · nə · stee
- Written Hyphenation:
- am · nes · ty
- Primary stress:
- AM
- IPA:
- ˈæm.nə.sti
- Hear it in context
- amnesty
Words that Rhyme with “amnesty”
-æmnəstiWords that Sound Identical (Homophones)
Unique Sound"amnesty" (⁄ˈæm.nə.sti⁄) has no true homophones in standard English — there are no other words with identical pronunciation. Unlike sound-alike pairs like there / their or peace / piece, "amnesty" has a completely distinct phonetic identity.
Frequently asked questions about amnesty
How do you pronounce “amnesty”?
“amnesty” is pronounced ⁄ˈæm.nə.sti⁄ (AM-nə-stee). Listen to the native-speaker clips above to hear it in real conversation.
How many syllables are in “amnesty”?
“amnesty” has 3 syllables: AM · nə · stee.
Where is the stress in “amnesty”?
The primary stress in “amnesty” is on “AM”. Listen for that stressed syllable in the clips above.
What does “amnesty” mean?
Forgetfulness; cessation of remembrance of wrong; oblivion.
How can I hear “amnesty” used in real sentences?
This page has 1289 real-world video examples of “amnesty” with synchronized subtitles. Use Previous / Next (or ← / → keys) to hear each one at the exact moment it is spoken.
What is the most common pronunciation mistake when saying “amnesty”?
Pronouncing a hard, aspirated [tʰ] in casual conversation can sound overly formal in North America. In American English, a single "t" between vowels quickly taps against the alveolar ridge like a soft "d" ([ɾ]). In British English, maintain a crisp aspirated [tʰ].