How to pronounce "impress" in English
ɪmˈprɛs
im·PRES
Primary stress: PRES
Hear native speakers say impress in context across real video clips
Linguistic Pronunciation Masterclass: “impress”
Phonetic mechanics, syllable architecture, and conversational cadence
Syllable Architecture & Stress Distribution
im
Reduced vowel sound, relaxed jaw, and minimal vocal effort.
PRES
Elevated pitch, sustained vowel length, and full acoustic clarity.
Primary emphasis falls on the second syllable ("PRES"). 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 "impress" is followed by a word starting with a vowel, glide the final consonant into the opening vowel (e.g. "impress is" sounds like "impress-iz").
In natural sentences, avoid over-stressing "impress" unless it conveys the core contrast or focal point of your message.
Authentic Spoken Quotes from Native Video Context
“impress people. And Jim took the time to get to know me and then made really a quite extraordinary offer.”— Native SpeakerWatch clip
“impress everybody you wna you want to be the cool guy in school so whenever you came to Long Island”— Native SpeakerWatch clip
“impress your friends and social affairs and growth pixen for tourists and respond with great things but You're”— Native SpeakerWatch clip
“impress just differently the body gotic the artist's quarter in the center of the old town is”— Native SpeakerWatch clip
“impress some people. And after sitting there for a few hours of getting your hair done, you get a little hungry. So you go around the corner, you're dodging all of the filth in the street”— Native SpeakerWatch clip
“impress editors at bigger magazines and um and make them want to give you a shot”— Native SpeakerWatch clip
Practice Speaking “impress”
Listen to native pronunciation, record yourself repeating the sentence into your microphone, and receive real-time word-by-word accuracy scoring.
impress people. And Jim took the time to get to know me and then made really a quite extraordinary offer.
Hear it in context: “impress”
1,776 clipsThe English word “impress” is transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) as ɪmˈprɛs (phonetic respelling: im-PRES). Phonologically, it consists of 2 syllables (im · PRES), with primary lexical stress placed on the 2nd syllable (PRES). Grammatically, “impress” 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 1,776 authentic English video clips demonstrating how native speakers articulate “impress” 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 · @7:54
“contrasted I think to my sort of raw ambition and need to impress people. And Jim took the time to get to know me and then made really a quite extraordinary offer. And Jim took the time to get to know me and then made really”
- 🇺🇸 USClip #2 · @25:12
“so obviously you going through the stage in your life now where you want to impress everybody you wna you want to be the cool guy in school so whenever you came to Long Island school so whenever you came to Long Island”
- 🇺🇸 USClip #3 · @68:33
“are you going that directly computer impress your friends and social affairs and growth pixen for tourists and respond with great things but You're and growth pixen for tourists and”
- 🇺🇸 USClip #4 · @11:12
“prefer a little more style Barcelona is the kind of city where people dress to impress just differently the body gotic the artist's quarter in the center of the old town is differently the body gotic the artist's quarter in the center of the old town is”
- 🇺🇸 USClip #5 · @18:40
“the city and you're going to get your hair done. You have a big ball that night and you want to impress some people. And after sitting there for a few hours of getting your hair done, you get a little hungry. So you go around the corner, you're dodging all of the filth in the street a little hungry. So you go around the corner, you're dodging all of the filth in the street”
Definition & Meaning: “impress”
- To affect (someone) strongly and often favourably.
- To make an impression, to be impressive.
- The act of impressing.
- An impression; an impressed image or copy of something.
Example Sentences (3)
- “You impressed me with your command of Urdu.”
- “Henderson impressed in his first game as captain.”
- “impress people. And Jim took the time to get to know me and then made really a quite extraordinary offer.”
Common Phrases & Collocations
Pronounce: “impress”
- Pronunciation:
- im-PRES
- Syllables:
- im · PRES
- Written Hyphenation:
- im · press
- Primary stress:
- PRES
- IPA:
- ɪmˈprɛs
- Hear it in context
- impress
Synonyms: “impress”
Hear words related in meaning to “impress” in real video clips:
Words that Rhyme with “impress”
-ɛsWords that Sound Identical (Homophones)
Unique Sound"impress" (⁄ɪmˈprɛs⁄) 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, "impress" has a completely distinct phonetic identity.
Frequently asked questions about impress
How do you pronounce “impress”?
“impress” is pronounced ⁄ɪmˈprɛs⁄ (im-PRES). Listen to the native-speaker clips above to hear it in real conversation.
How many syllables are in “impress”?
“impress” has 2 syllables: im · PRES.
Where is the stress in “impress”?
The primary stress in “impress” is on “PRES”. Listen for that stressed syllable in the clips above.
What does “impress” mean?
To affect (someone) strongly and often favourably.
How can I hear “impress” used in real sentences?
This page has 1776 real-world video examples of “impress” 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 “impress”?
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⁄).