How To Pronounce Melancholy
melancholy
How To Say Melancholy Phonetically
Say the part in capitals loudest. This plain spelling is a guide; the IPA above is exact.
In British English, melancholy is pronounced /ˈmel.ən.kɒl.i/. The narrow phonetic transcription is [ˈmel.ə̃n.kʷɒl.i]. In American English, it is pronounced /ˈmel.ən.kɑː.li/.
Melancholy has four syllables, and the main stress falls on the first 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
Melancholy has four syllables in British English, and the main stress is on the first syllable, shown in colour above. Its stress pattern is Oooo, where O is the stressed syllable.
Transcription Tips For Melancholy
- 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. Melancholy /ˈmel.ən.kɒl.i/
- 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. Melancholy /ˈmel.ən.kɒl.i/
- 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. Melancholy /ˈmel.ən.kɒl.i/
Questions About Melancholy
How do you say melancholy phonetically?
Melancholy sounds like MEL-uhn-kol-ee in British English and MEL-uhn-kah-lee in American English. The part in capitals is stressed.
How do you pronounce melancholy in British English?
In British English, melancholy is pronounced /ˈmel.ən.kɒl.i/. The narrow phonetic transcription is [ˈmel.ə̃n.kʷɒl.i].
How do you pronounce melancholy in American English?
In American English, melancholy is pronounced /ˈmel.ən.kɑː.li/.
How many syllables are in melancholy?
Melancholy has four syllables, /mel/ + /ən/ + /kɒl/ + /i/.
Where is the stress in melancholy?
The main stress is on the first syllable, /mel/.
Do British and American English pronounce melancholy the same way?
No. British English has /ˈmel.ən.kɒl.i/ and American English has /ˈmel.ən.kɑː.li/.
Syllables And Tree Diagram Of Melancholy
Melancholy has four syllables. See how melancholy 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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