How to pronounce "même" in English
ˈmædəm
MA·dəm
Primary stress: MA
Hear native speakers say même in context across real video clips
Linguistic Pronunciation Masterclass: “même”
Phonetic mechanics, syllable architecture, and conversational cadence
Syllable Architecture & Stress Distribution
MA
Elevated pitch, sustained vowel length, and full acoustic clarity.
dəm
Neutral schwa (⁄ə⁄): relaxed jaw, brief unstressed breath.
Primary emphasis falls on the first syllable ("MA"). 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 "même" unless it conveys the core contrast or focal point of your message.
Authentic Spoken Quotes from Native Video Context
“même." And so they leave, they say it's time to eat, and so they leave the demonstration to go eat, and then they miss the whole”— YaleCoursesWatch clip
Practice Speaking “même”
Listen to native pronunciation, record yourself repeating the sentence into your microphone, and receive real-time word-by-word accuracy scoring.
même." And so they leave, they say it's time to eat, and so they leave the demonstration to go eat, and then they miss the whole
Hear it in context: “même”
1,545 clipsThe English word “même” is transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) as ˈmædəm (phonetic respelling: MA-dəm). Phonologically, it consists of 2 syllables (MA · dəm), with primary lexical stress placed on the 1st (initial) syllable (MA). Grammatically, “même” functions as a noun. SayItVid indexes 1,545 authentic English video clips demonstrating how native speakers articulate “même” in natural connected speech across American (US: 1 sampled), British (UK), and Australian (AUS) accents, including verified broadcasts from YaleCourses.
Spoken Video Transcripts & Contextual Quotes (1 Verified Clips)
- 🇺🇸 USYaleCoursesClip #1 · @26:23
“"well, it's 7:30, il faut manger quand même." And so they leave, they say it's time to eat, and so they leave the demonstration to go eat, and then they miss the whole they say it's time to eat, and so they leave the”
Definition & Meaning: “même”
- Abbreviation of Madame.
Example Sentences (2)
- “With them were the two royal children, Mmes Tantes (the elderly daughters of Louis XV), Mme Elisabeth, the Comic de Provence and his wife.”
- “même." And so they leave, they say it's time to eat, and so they leave the demonstration to go eat, and then they miss the whole”
Pronounce: “même”
- Pronunciation:
- MA-dəm
- Syllables:
- MA · dəm
- Written Hyphenation:
- mme
- Primary stress:
- MA
- IPA:
- ˈmædəm
- Hear it in context
- même
Words that Rhyme with “même”
-ædəmWords that Sound Identical (Homophones)
Unique Sound"même" (⁄ˈmædəm⁄) 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, "même" has a completely distinct phonetic identity.
Frequently asked questions about même
How do you pronounce “même”?
“même” is pronounced ⁄ˈmædəm⁄ (MA-dəm). Listen to the native-speaker clips above to hear it in real conversation.
How many syllables are in “même”?
“même” has 2 syllables: MA · dəm.
Where is the stress in “même”?
The primary stress in “même” is on “MA”. Listen for that stressed syllable in the clips above.
What does “même” mean?
Abbreviation of Madame.
How can I hear “même” used in real sentences?
This page has 1545 real-world video examples of “même” 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 “même”?
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⁄).