How To Pronounce Maternity
maternity
How To Say Maternity Phonetically
Say the part in capitals loudest. This plain spelling is a guide; the IPA above is exact.
In British English, maternity is pronounced /məˈtɜː.nɪ.ti/. The narrow phonetic transcription is [məˈtʰɜːʴ.nɪ.ti]. In American English, it is pronounced /məˈtɝː.nɪ.t̬i/.
Maternity has four syllables, and the main stress falls on the second syllable. The British and American pronunciations are different, so listen to both.
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.
Syllables, Stress And Endings
Syllables And Stress
Maternity has four syllables in British English, and the main stress is on the second syllable, shown in colour above. Its stress pattern is oOoo, where O is the stressed syllable.
Transcription Tips For Maternity
- Rule 29
The Letter y
The letter y before a vowel is usually a consonant, /j/. After a consonant it is usually a vowel.
yes /jes/yam /jæm/city /ˈsɪt.i/
Here. Maternity /məˈtɜː.nɪ.ti/
- Rule 3
Mark The Stressed Syllable
When a word has more than one syllable, the primary stress marker must be placed before the stressed syllable. It is wrong to write /lɔː.jə/ without the stress marker.
lawyer /ˈlɔː.jə/
Here. Maternity /məˈtɜː.nɪ.ti/
- Rule 7
Stress Mark Replaces The Dot
Do not place a syllable boundary marker where the stress marker appears. /ðeɪ.ə.naʊ.ˈhɪə/ is not acceptable.
They are now here /ðeɪ.ə.naʊˈhɪə/
Here. Maternity /məˈtɜː.nɪ.ti/
Questions About Maternity
How do you say maternity phonetically?
Maternity sounds like muh-TUR-ni-tee in British English, and the same in American English. The part in capitals is stressed.
How do you pronounce maternity in British English?
In British English, maternity is pronounced /məˈtɜː.nɪ.ti/. The narrow phonetic transcription is [məˈtʰɜːʴ.nɪ.ti].
How do you pronounce maternity in American English?
In American English, maternity is pronounced /məˈtɝː.nɪ.t̬i/.
How many syllables are in maternity?
Maternity has four syllables, /mə/ + /tɜː/ + /nɪ/ + /ti/.
Where is the stress in maternity?
The main stress is on the second syllable, /tɜː/.
Do British and American English pronounce maternity the same way?
No. British English has /məˈtɜː.nɪ.ti/ and American English has /məˈtɝː.nɪ.t̬i/.
Syllables And Tree Diagram Of Maternity
Maternity has four syllables. See how maternity divides into syllables, its syllable structure and its tree diagram in the Adroit Phonology App.
Other Words With The Stress Pattern oOoo
Nearby Words
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