"Necessary" is not spelled the way it sounds. Its pronunciation is /ˈnɛsəˌsɛɹi/ in IPA and it has 4 syllables. Tap play below to hear it in four English accents — the audio is the reliable guide for a word like this.
necessary
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
Record yourself saying necessary, then compare with the target. Your audio stays on this device — nothing is uploaded.
4
Syllables
9
Letters
/ˈnɛsəˌsɛɹi/
🇺🇸 IPA (US)
/nˈɛsəsəɹi/
🇬🇧 IPA (UK)
"necessary" has 4 syllables: necessary. It rhymes with extraordinary and contemporary, if that helps it stick.
noun
adjective
“Although I wished to think that all was false, it was yet necessary that I, who thus thought, must in some sense exist.”
“If it is absolutely necessary to use public computers, you should plan ahead and forward your e-mail to a temporary, disposable account.”
Practicing rhymes trains the same ending sounds.
Related pages on PronounceIt, chosen from what we know about this word.
Train the contrast: light vs right
Sounds worth drilling for a word spelled like this:
Read next: Why English Spelling Doesn’t Match Its Pronunciation
"Necessary" is not spelled the way it sounds. Its pronunciation is /ˈnɛsəˌsɛɹi/ in IPA and it has 4 syllables. Tap play below to hear it in four English accents — the audio is the reliable guide for a word like this.
"Necessary" has 4 syllables.
The IPA transcription of "necessary" is /ˈnɛsəˌsɛɹi/.
Necessary: (usually with the definite article) A place to do the "necessary" business of urination and defecation: an outhouse or lavatory.
Want the definition, translations into 8 languages, and read-aloud for full sentences?
Open “necessary” in the full dictionary →