How to pronounce "competent" in English
ˈkɒmpɪtənt
KOM·pih·tənt
Primary stress: KOM
Hear native speakers say competent in context across real video clips
Linguistic Pronunciation Masterclass: “competent”
Phonetic mechanics, syllable architecture, and conversational cadence
Syllable Architecture & Stress Distribution
KOM
Elevated pitch, sustained vowel length, and full acoustic clarity.
pih
Neutral schwa (⁄ə⁄): relaxed jaw, brief unstressed breath.
tənt
Neutral schwa (⁄ə⁄): relaxed jaw, brief unstressed breath.
Primary emphasis falls on the first syllable ("KOM"). Elevate 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 "competent" is followed by a word starting with a vowel, glide the final consonant into the opening vowel (e.g. "competent is" sounds like "competent-iz").
Maintain the stress-timed rhythm of English: compress unstressed syllables rapidly so the beat of "competent" aligns naturally with adjacent words.
Authentic Spoken Quotes from Native Video Context
“competent than the poor clothes, even we beg you to do it, we pay you nothing, that's what you see.”— Native SpeakerWatch clip
“competent medical Illustrator. And of how happy she became whenever she was sent a new book to illustrate.”— Native SpeakerWatch clip
“competent adult who should be facilitating it is missing so i decided to set up a counselling”— Native SpeakerWatch clip
“competent and critical rather than incompetent and easily misled and we assume it's better to tell people”— Native SpeakerWatch clip
“Competent signals send the message that you can act on those intentions if you choose to.”— Native SpeakerWatch clip
“competent?" That predicts 70% of elections. So the impact of System 1 on the decisions”— Native SpeakerWatch clip
Practice Speaking “competent”
Listen to native pronunciation, record yourself repeating the sentence into your microphone, and receive real-time word-by-word accuracy scoring.
competent than the poor clothes, even we beg you to do it, we pay you nothing, that's what you see.
Hear it in context: “competent”
1,925 clipsThe English word “competent” is transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) as ˈkɒmpɪtənt (phonetic respelling: KOM-pih-tənt). Phonologically, it consists of 3 syllables (KOM · pih · tənt), with primary lexical stress placed on the 1st (initial) syllable (KOM). Grammatically, “competent” functions as a adjective. SayItVid indexes 1,925 authentic English video clips demonstrating how native speakers articulate “competent” 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 · @26:52
“the rich clothes are judges more competent than the poor clothes, even we beg you to do it, we pay you nothing, that's what you see. even we beg you to do it, we pay”
- 🇺🇸 USClip #2 · @22:46
“she realized she would never be a really competent medical Illustrator. And of how happy she became whenever she was sent a new book to illustrate. And of how happy she became whenever”
- 🇺🇸 USClip #3 · @5:29
“our service provision because the competent adult who should be facilitating it is missing so i decided to set up a counselling facilitating it is missing”
- 🇺🇸 USClip #4 · @2:17
“assumption we so it's better to come off competent and critical rather than incompetent and easily misled and we assume it's better to tell people incompetent and easily misled and we”
- 🇺🇸 USClip #5 · @20:40
“You have good intentions toward them. Competent signals send the message that you can act on those intentions if you choose to. that you can act on those intentions if you choose to.”
Definition & Meaning: “competent”
- Having sufficient skill, knowledge, ability, or qualifications.
- Having jurisdiction or authority over a particular issue or question.
Example Sentences (3)
- “He is a competent skier and an expert snowboarder.”
- “For any disagreements arising from this contract, the competent court shall be the Springfield Circuit Court.”
- “competent than the poor clothes, even we beg you to do it, we pay you nothing, that's what you see.”
Common Phrases & Collocations
Pronounce: “competent”
- Pronunciation:
- KOM-pih-tənt
- Syllables:
- KOM · pih · tənt
- Written Hyphenation:
- com · pe · tent
- Primary stress:
- KOM
- IPA:
- ˈkɒmpɪtənt
- Hear it in context
- competent
Synonyms: “competent”
Hear words related in meaning to “competent” in real video clips:
Words that Rhyme with “competent”
-ɒmpɪtəntWords that Sound Identical (Homophones)
Unique Sound"competent" (⁄ˈkɒmpɪtənt⁄) 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, "competent" has a completely distinct phonetic identity.
Frequently asked questions about competent
How do you pronounce “competent”?
“competent” is pronounced ⁄ˈkɒmpɪtənt⁄ (KOM-pih-tənt). Listen to the native-speaker clips above to hear it in real conversation.
How many syllables are in “competent”?
“competent” has 3 syllables: KOM · pih · tənt.
Where is the stress in “competent”?
The primary stress in “competent” is on “KOM”. Listen for that stressed syllable in the clips above.
What does “competent” mean?
Having sufficient skill, knowledge, ability, or qualifications.
How can I hear “competent” used in real sentences?
This page has 1925 real-world video examples of “competent” 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 “competent”?
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].