How To Pronounce Desert

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

Noun. It is /ˈdez.ət/ in British English and /ˈdez.ərt/ in American English with the main stress on the first syllable, as in “the desert”.

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

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.