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Pronunciation

How to pronounce “altruistic”

“altruistic” is pronounced /ˌɔltɹuˈɪstɪk/ (awl-troo-I-stik) in American English and /ɔːltɹuːɪstɪk/ in British English — 4 syllables, stressed on “ɪ”.
The sound

Say “altruistic” in 4 beats

Say it like this

altruistic

/ˌɔltɹuˈɪstɪk/

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

4 beats
  1. ɔlɔl
  2. tɹutɹu
  3. ɪɪstress
  4. stɪkstɪk
IPA (American)
/ˌɔltɹuˈɪstɪk/
IPA (British)
/ɔːltɹuːɪstɪk/
Respelling
awl-troo-I-stik
Syllables
4 — ɔl-tɹu-Ɪ-stɪk
Stress
Stress the third syllable: ɔl-tɹu-Ɪ-stɪk. “ɪ” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Part of speech
adjective
Difficulty
Legend — spelling and sound part company here
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˌɔltɹuˈɪstɪk/

British

/ɔːltɹuːɪstɪk/

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

Meaning

What “altruistic” means

  1. adjective

    showing unselfish concern for the welfare of others

Say it in a sentence

“Giving up his whole weekend was an altruistic thing to do.”
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

8 sounds, in the order you say them
ɔawlltt×2ɹrulong ooɪshort i×2sskk

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

Questions

“altruistic”, answered

How do you pronounce “altruistic”?

“altruistic” is pronounced /ˌɔltɹuˈɪstɪk/ (awl-troo-I-stik) in American English and /ɔːltɹuːɪstɪk/ in British English — 4 syllables, stressed on “ɪ”. Build it as ɔl-tɹu-Ɪ-stɪk, then run the third syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “altruistic” have?

4: ɔl · tɹu · ɪ · stɪk. The beat lands on the third, “ɪ”.

Is “altruistic” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˌɔltɹuˈɪstɪk/ (awl-troo-I-stik); British English says /ɔːltɹuːɪstɪk/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “altruistic” mean?

As an adjective: showing unselfish concern for the welfare of others For example: “Giving up his whole weekend was an altruistic thing to do.”

Where is the stress in “altruistic”?

Stress the third syllable: ɔl-tɹu-Ɪ-stɪk. “ɪ” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

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