English pronunciation · Words Starting with T

Tense Pronunciation

Tense is pronounced TENS, IPA /ˈtɛns/.

TENS

US /ˈtɛns/  ·  UK /ˈtɛns/

Syllables: TENS (1 syllable)

adjective and noun: Nervous and unable to relax, or in grammar a form of the verb that shows time.

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Tense in a Sentence

  • The whole room went tense when he walked in.
  • My shoulders are tense from the drive.
  • Spanish has more past tense forms than English.

Common Mispronunciations of Tense

Not TENZ

Hold the ending unvoiced. A buzz there gives tens, the number word, which is a different thing altogether.

Not TEN-suh

The silent e does nothing but sit there. The word stops dead on the s.

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