How to pronounce “abstruse”
Say “abstruse” in 2 beats
abstruse
/əbˈstɹus/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /ɐbstɹuːs/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- əbəb
- stɹusstɹusstress
- IPA (American)
- /əbˈstɹus/
- IPA (British)
- /ɐbstɹuːs/
- Respelling
- uhb-STROOS
- Syllables
- 2 — əb-STɹUS
- Stress
- Stress the second syllable: əb-STɹUS. “stɹus” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
- Part of speech
- adjective
- Difficulty
- Legend — spelling and sound part company here
American and British are not the same here
/əbˈstɹus/
/ɐbstɹuːs/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
What “abstruse” means
- adjective
difficult to penetrate; incomprehensible to one of ordinary understanding or knowledge
“the professor's lectures were so abstruse that students tended to avoid them”
Say it in a sentence
“His lecture notes were so abstruse that nobody dared ask a question.”“abstruse”, answered
How do you pronounce “abstruse”?
“abstruse” is pronounced /əbˈstɹus/ (uhb-STROOS) in American English and /ɐbstɹuːs/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “stɹus”. Build it as əb-STɹUS, then run the second syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.
How many syllables does “abstruse” have?
2: əb · stɹus. The beat lands on the second, “stɹus”.
Is “abstruse” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /əbˈstɹus/ (uhb-STROOS); British English says /ɐbstɹuːs/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “abstruse” mean?
As an adjective: difficult to penetrate; incomprehensible to one of ordinary understanding or knowledge For example: “the professor's lectures were so abstruse that students tended to avoid them”
Where is the stress in “abstruse”?
Stress the second syllable: əb-STɹUS. “stɹus” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Now say “abstruse” and see every sound
Record it once and sayit lines your audio up against the target sound by sound — what landed, what slipped, and what it sounded like instead.