How do you pronounce Correspondence in American vs British English?

In American English, correspondence is pronounced ˌkɔɹəˈspɑndəns. In British English, it is pronounced kˌɒɹɪspˈɒndəns. The difference: The “lot” vowel: American English uses an unrounded /ɑ/, British English a rounded /ɒ/.

correspondence

Tap to hear · American accent

Accent

If an accent sounds the same, your device is missing that voice — it falls back to the closest one.

Speed

Syllable by syllable — tap each one

Side by side

AccentIPA
🇺🇸 American (US)ˌkɔɹəˈspɑndəns
🇬🇧 British (UK)kˌɒɹɪspˈɒndəns

Syllables

WordSyllable breakdownCount
correspondencecorr · esp · ond · enc · e5

Why the two accents differ here

In correspondence, the difference falls on /ɑ/ in American English against /ɒ/ in British. The rest of the word’s 5 syllables are said the same way in both.

The “lot” vowel: American English uses an unrounded /ɑ/, British English a rounded /ɒ/.

Practise the sound itself on the /ɑ/ sound page, or see the full American vs British guide for the other features that separate the two accents.

Other words with the same difference

12 other words on the site turn on this same feature — once you hear it in one, you hear it in all of them:

curiositydocumentaryeconomicsentouragegeographyliaisonlingerieobviousophthalmologistopportunityoppositephenomenon

Which one should you use?

Neither is more correct — they are different standard accents. Choose based on where you live, work, or are being examined, and then stay consistent. Mixing accents mid-sentence is what sounds unnatural, not the accent itself.

Full “correspondence” pronunciation pageCompare any word in 4 accents