How To Pronounce Absent

The stress in absent moves depending on how the word is used.

Adjective. It is /ˈæb.sənt/ in British English and /ˈæb.sənt/ in American English with the main stress on the first syllable, as in “he is absent”.

Verb. It is /æbˈsent/ in British English and /æbˈsent/ in American English with the main stress on the second syllable, as in “to absent”.

Slashes / / show the phonemic transcription, the sounds that change meaning. Square brackets [ ] show the phonetic transcription, with the finer detail of how the sounds are actually made.