How To Pronounce Perfect

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

Adjective. It is /ˈpɜː.fekt/ in British English and /ˈpɜːr.fekt/ in American English with the main stress on the first syllable, as in “a perfect day”.

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

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.