How to pronounce "excuse" in EnglishNoun
ɪkˈskjuːz
ik·SKYOOZ
Primary stress: SKYOOZ
Hear native speakers say excuse in context across real video clips
Linguistic Pronunciation Masterclass: “excuse”
Phonetic mechanics, syllable architecture, and conversational cadence
Syllable Architecture & Stress Distribution
ik
Reduced vowel sound, relaxed jaw, and minimal vocal effort.
SKYOOZ
Tense long vowel with sustained acoustic resonance.
Primary emphasis falls on the second syllable ("SKYOOZ"). Raise 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 followed by a vowel, insert a subtle glide (/w/ or /j/) to connect into the subsequent word without an abrupt glottal stop.
In natural sentences, avoid over-stressing "excuse" unless it conveys the core contrast or focal point of your message.
Authentic Spoken Quotes from Native Video Context
“excuse for men that they are doing the important part because you develop”— Harvard UniversityWatch clip
“excuse me-- "so the longer the company can persuade someone to play, the more money it can make."”— Native SpeakerWatch clip
“excuse. Look, you are who you are and uh let it let it all out there. And I think”— Native SpeakerWatch clip
“excuse that was used to for a war to be waged on Iran and they are not willing”— Native SpeakerWatch clip
“excuse-making uh sort of statement it sort of seeks to justify china coming into territory that india”— Native SpeakerWatch clip
“excuse that's a huge red flag if it sounds too good to be true then it”— Native SpeakerWatch clip
Practice Speaking “excuse”
Listen to native pronunciation, record yourself repeating the sentence into your microphone, and receive real-time word-by-word accuracy scoring.
excuse for men that they are doing the important part because you develop
Hear it in context: “excuse”
3,531 clipsThe English word “excuse” is transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) as ɪkˈskjuːz (phonetic respelling: ik-SKYOOZ). Phonologically, it consists of 2 syllables (ik · SKYOOZ), with primary lexical stress placed on the 2nd syllable (SKYOOZ). Grammatically, “excuse” functions as a verb, noun and acts as an English heteronym where syllable stress shifts between noun (initial-syllable stress) and verb (second-syllable stress) usage. SayItVid indexes 3,531 authentic English video clips demonstrating how native speakers articulate “excuse” in natural connected speech across American (US: 8 sampled), British (UK), and Australian (AUS) accents, including verified broadcasts from Harvard University.
Spoken Video Transcripts & Contextual Quotes (5 Verified Clips)
- 🇺🇸 USHarvard UniversityClip #1 · @28:07
“half an hour and half an hour but here there is a problem it could be like an excuse for men that they are doing the important part because you develop cognitive social skills of your children now so always the proportion of quality”
- 🇺🇸 USClip #2 · @16:08
“so the company can persuade someone to play"-- oh, excuse me-- "so the longer the company can persuade someone to play, the more money it can make." End quote. to play, the more money it can make."”
- 🇺🇸 USClip #3 · @61:08
“Uh hey I'm on here for a reason. Yeah, I just, you know, it's like I'm out of any excuse. Look, you are who you are and uh let it let it all out there. And I think people I I I I think we claim we long for authenticity. I still mostly believe”
- 🇺🇸 USClip #4 · @11:30
“basically. So the Iranians saw the last uh announcement by the IAA uh as an excuse that was used to for a war to be waged on Iran and they are not willing to continue cooperating with it because it's not providing Iran with its rights”
- 🇺🇸 USClip #5 · @4:36
“only one set of perceptions so to that extent this is a bit of an excuse-making uh sort of statement it sort of seeks to justify china coming into territory that india justify china coming into territory that india”
Definition & Meaning: “excuse”
- To forgive; to pardon; to overlook.
- To allow to leave, or release from any obligation.
- An explanation designed to avoid or alleviate guilt or negative judgment; a plea offered in extenuation of a fault.
- A defense to a criminal or civil charge wherein the accused party admits to doing acts for which legal consequences would normally be appropriate, but asserts that special circumstances relieve that party of culpability for having done those acts.
Example Sentences (3)
- “I excused him his transgressions.”
- “May I be excused from the table?”
- “excuse for men that they are doing the important part because you develop”
Pronounce: “excuse”
- Pronunciation:
- ik-SKYOOZ
- Syllables:
- ik · SKYOOZ
- Written Hyphenation:
- ex · cuse
- Primary stress:
- SKYOOZ
- IPA:
- ɪkˈskjuːz
- Hear it in context
- excuse
Synonyms: “excuse”
Hear words related in meaning to “excuse” in real video clips:
Words that Rhyme with “excuse”
-uzWords that Sound Identical (Homophones)
Unique Sound"excuse" (⁄ɪkˈskjuːz⁄) 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, "excuse" has a completely distinct phonetic identity.
Frequently asked questions about excuse
How do you pronounce “excuse”?
“excuse” is pronounced ⁄ɪkˈskjuːz⁄ (ik-SKYOOZ). Listen to the native-speaker clips above to hear it in real conversation.
How many syllables are in “excuse”?
“excuse” has 2 syllables: ik · SKYOOZ.
Where is the stress in “excuse”?
The primary stress in “excuse” is on “SKYOOZ”. Listen for that stressed syllable in the clips above.
What does “excuse” mean?
To forgive; to pardon; to overlook.
How can I hear “excuse” used in real sentences?
This page has 3531 real-world video examples of “excuse” 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 “excuse”?
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⁄).