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Pronunciation

How to pronounce “algorithm”

“algorithm” is pronounced /ˈælɡɚˌɪðəm/ (AL-guh-i-dhuhm) in American English and /alɡəɹɪθəm/ in British English — 4 syllables, stressed on “æl”.
The sound

Say “algorithm” in 4 beats

Say it like this

algorithm

/ˈælɡɚˌɪðəm/

The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /alɡəɹɪθəm/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.

4 beats
  1. ælælstress
  2. ɡɚɡɚ
  3. ɪɪ
  4. ðəmðəm
IPA (American)
/ˈælɡɚˌɪðəm/
IPA (British)
/alɡəɹɪθəm/
Respelling
AL-guh-i-dhuhm
Syllables
4 — ÆL-ɡɚ-ɪ-ðəm
Stress
Stress the first syllable: ÆL-ɡɚ-ɪ-ðəm. “æl” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Part of speech
noun
Difficulty
Pro — the sounds are ordinary, the rhythm is where it slips
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˈælɡɚˌɪðəm/

British

/alɡəɹɪθəm/

No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.

Meaning

What “algorithm” means

  1. noun

    a precise rule (or set of rules) specifying how to solve some problem

Say it in a sentence

“The algorithm sorts the photographs by date and location.”
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

7 sounds, in the order you say them
æshort allɡgɚschwa×2ɪshort iðth voicedmm

Each sound has its own page: where the tongue goes, what it is usually confused with, and words to drill it on.

Questions

“algorithm”, answered

How do you pronounce “algorithm”?

“algorithm” is pronounced /ˈælɡɚˌɪðəm/ (AL-guh-i-dhuhm) in American English and /alɡəɹɪθəm/ in British English — 4 syllables, stressed on “æl”. Build it as ÆL-ɡɚ-ɪ-ðəm, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “algorithm” have?

4: æl · ɡɚ · ɪ · ðəm. The beat lands on the first, “æl”.

Is “algorithm” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈælɡɚˌɪðəm/ (AL-guh-i-dhuhm); British English says /alɡəɹɪθəm/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “algorithm” mean?

As a noun: a precise rule (or set of rules) specifying how to solve some problem For example: “The algorithm sorts the photographs by date and location.”

Where is the stress in “algorithm”?

Stress the first syllable: ÆL-ɡɚ-ɪ-ðəm. “æl” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

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