How To Pronounce Contract

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

Noun. It is /ˈkɒn.trækt/ in British English and /ˈkɑːn.trækt/ in American English with the main stress on the first syllable, as in “a contract”.

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

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.