How To Pronounce Contest

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

Noun. It is /ˈkɒn.test/ in British English and /ˈkɑːnˌtest/ in American English with the main stress on the first syllable, as in “a contest”.

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

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.