How to pronounce "dependent" in English
dɪˈpɛndənt
dih·PEN·dənt
Primary stress: PEN
Hear native speakers say dependent in context across real video clips
Linguistic Pronunciation Masterclass: “dependent”
Phonetic mechanics, syllable architecture, and conversational cadence
Syllable Architecture & Stress Distribution
dih
Neutral schwa (⁄ə⁄): relaxed jaw, brief unstressed breath.
PEN
Elevated pitch, sustained vowel length, and full acoustic clarity.
dənt
Neutral schwa (⁄ə⁄): relaxed jaw, brief unstressed breath.
Primary emphasis falls on the second syllable ("PEN"). Elevate your pitch and sustain the vowel length on this syllable while relaxing the surrounding syllables.
Common Pronunciation Traps & Learner Mistakes
The Trap: Avoid pronouncing every vowel with full acoustic weight. Non-native speakers often over-enunciate unstressed vowels.
How Native Speakers Say It: Only give full vowel clarity to the primary stressed syllable. Relax all unstressed vowels into a neutral, low-energy schwa (⁄ə⁄).
Connected Speech & Natural Conversational Flow
When "dependent" is followed by a word starting with a vowel, glide the final consonant into the opening vowel (e.g. "dependent is" sounds like "dependent-iz").
Maintain the stress-timed rhythm of English: compress unstressed syllables rapidly so the beat of "dependent" aligns naturally with adjacent words.
Authentic Spoken Quotes from Native Video Context
“dependent on one source of revenue -- advertising -- I'll tell you a story, for instance.”— Native SpeakerWatch clip
“dependent on your standing in the community, your status.”— Native SpeakerWatch clip
“dependent upon to bail out uh some of these major uh lenders if you will while”— Native SpeakerWatch clip
“dependent visa. If you're going to be here as a F-1, then your dependents will be”— Native SpeakerWatch clip
“dependent I think that um it depends on the situation absolutely but um yes if”— Native SpeakerWatch clip
“Dependent on the whims of the people in this room, rather than protected by law.”— Native SpeakerWatch clip
Practice Speaking “dependent”
Listen to native pronunciation, record yourself repeating the sentence into your microphone, and receive real-time word-by-word accuracy scoring.
dependent on one source of revenue -- advertising -- I'll tell you a story, for instance.
Hear it in context: “dependent”
10,382 clipsThe English word “dependent” is transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) as dɪˈpɛndənt (phonetic respelling: dih-PEN-dənt). Phonologically, it consists of 3 syllables (dih · PEN · dənt), with primary lexical stress placed on the 2nd syllable (PEN). Grammatically, “dependent” functions as a adjective, noun. SayItVid indexes 10,382 authentic English video clips demonstrating how native speakers articulate “dependent” 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 · @29:48
“you do. I mean, I think the notion of being totally dependent on one source of revenue -- advertising -- I'll tell you a story, for instance. Eric Schmidt -- in my 11th interview with Eric last December, I said to him, "I just”
- 🇺🇸 USClip #2 · @47:38
“to us is not just interpersonal romantic love, but the love that you get from other people. Strangers dependent on your standing in the community, your status. You know, status is a really interesting feature of everybody's ambitions. You know, why do we work so hard? We work so hard,”
- 🇺🇸 USClip #3 · @1:19
“that means the very people who have been exploited in the process are now dependent upon to bail out uh some of these major uh lenders if you will while not pointing to how they've exploited uh American workers and with”
- 🇺🇸 USClip #4 · @7:40
“then they are eligible to apply for dependent visa. If you're going to be here as a F-1, then your dependents will be If you're going to be here as”
- 🇺🇸 USClip #5 · @5:05
“don't know know it's very patient and Doctor dependent I think that um it depends on the situation absolutely but um yes if you can see a p a person's you know life and see where they live and how they”
Definition & Meaning: “dependent”
- Relying upon; depending upon.
- Having a probability that is affected by the outcome of a separate event.
- A person who relies on another for support or sustenance, particularly financial support.
- An element in phrase or clause structure that is not the head. Includes complements, modifiers and determiners.
Example Sentences (3)
- “At that point I was dependent on financial aid for my tuition.”
- “The formula for finding the probability of one event followed by a dependent event is written P(A, B) = P(A) × P(B/A) where P(B/A) is read “the probability of B given A.””
- “dependent on one source of revenue -- advertising -- I'll tell you a story, for instance.”
Common Phrases & Collocations
Pronounce: “dependent”
- Pronunciation:
- dih-PEN-dənt
- Syllables:
- dih · PEN · dənt
- Written Hyphenation:
- de · pen · dent
- Primary stress:
- PEN
- IPA:
- dɪˈpɛndənt
- Hear it in context
- dependent
Words that Rhyme with “dependent”
-ɛndəntWords that Sound Identical (Homophones)
Unique Sound"dependent" (⁄dɪˈpɛndənt⁄) 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, "dependent" has a completely distinct phonetic identity.
Frequently asked questions about dependent
How do you pronounce “dependent”?
“dependent” is pronounced ⁄dɪˈpɛndənt⁄ (dih-PEN-dənt). Listen to the native-speaker clips above to hear it in real conversation.
How many syllables are in “dependent”?
“dependent” has 3 syllables: dih · PEN · dənt.
Where is the stress in “dependent”?
The primary stress in “dependent” is on “PEN”. Listen for that stressed syllable in the clips above.
What does “dependent” mean?
Relying upon; depending upon.
How can I hear “dependent” used in real sentences?
This page has 10382 real-world video examples of “dependent” 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 “dependent”?
Avoid pronouncing every vowel with full acoustic weight. Non-native speakers often over-enunciate unstressed vowels. Only give full vowel clarity to the primary stressed syllable. Relax all unstressed vowels into a neutral, low-energy schwa (⁄ə⁄).