How to pronounce "impress" in EnglishNoun
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. It's totally fine. But, what makes it problematic is when you center yourself around someone that you don't”— TEDx TalksWatch clip
“They would impress American seamen-- and when I say impress, it didn't mean that they were doing something special.”— Khan AcademyWatch clip
“across uh an impress article on um a report of some real world cases in”— StanfordWatch clip
“for impress actually was much more alarmed with a prospect meltem much”— Harvard UniversityWatch clip
“The Empire has an impress on society.”— YaleCoursesWatch clip
“impress but will that be enough to Prevail on the American Market the American Market is a”— 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. It's totally fine. But, what makes it problematic is when you center yourself around someone that you don't
Hear it in context: “impress”
132 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 132 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, including verified broadcasts from TEDx Talks, Khan Academy, Stanford.
Spoken Video Transcripts & Contextual Quotes (5 Verified Clips)
- 🇺🇸 USTEDx TalksClip #1 · @7:51
“wrong dressed wanting to dress to impress. It's totally fine. But, what makes it problematic is when you center yourself around someone that you don't makes it problematic is when you center”
- 🇺🇸 USKhan AcademyClip #2 · @10:40
“revolt or cause trouble for settlers. They would impress American seamen-- and when I say impress, it didn't mean that they were doing something special. and when I say impress, it didn't”
- 🇺🇸 USStanfordClip #3 · @15:12
“default option participation rates are about 80 to 90% so I recently came across uh an impress article on um a report of some real world cases in Germany where they've tried employing optout techniques in to Green”
- 🇺🇸 USHarvard UniversityClip #4 · @47:48
“question I have been thinking of this many times I don't have any good answer for impress actually was much more alarmed with a prospect meltem much earlier but perhaps that they reported very responsibly but at the end of the”
- 🇺🇸 USYaleCoursesClip #5 · @28:35
“we come to read Wickham. The Empire has an impress on society. There is what he calls the Burden of Empire, but it is,”
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. It's totally fine. But, what makes it problematic is when you center yourself around someone that you don't”
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 132 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⁄).