How to pronounce “aluminium”
Say “aluminium” in 4 beats
aluminium
/ˌæljəˈmɪniəm/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /ˌaljʊˈmɪnɪəm/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- alæl
- umjə
- inmɪstress
- iumnɪəm
- IPA (American)
- /ˌæljəˈmɪniəm/
- IPA (British)
- /ˌaljʊˈmɪnɪəm/
- Also accepted
- /ˌæˈljumɪnəm/
- Respelling
- al-yoo-MIN-ee-uhm
- Syllables
- 4 — al-um-IN-ium
- Stress
- Stress the third syllable: al-um-IN-ium. “in” 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
American and British are not the same here
/ˌæljəˈmɪniəm/
/ˌaljʊˈmɪnɪəm/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
Where “aluminium” goes wrong
- Often heard
“uh-LOO-mi-num”
that is the American spelling aluminum, which has four syllables; this spelling has five
What “aluminium” means
- noun
a silvery ductile metallic element found primarily in bauxite
Say it in a sentence
“The frames are aluminium and need almost no maintenance.”“aluminium”, answered
How do you pronounce “aluminium”?
“aluminium” is pronounced /ˌæljəˈmɪniəm/ (al-yoo-MIN-ee-uhm) in American English and /ˌaljʊˈmɪnɪəm/ in British English, and /ˌæˈljumɪnəm/ is also accepted — 4 syllables, stressed on “in”. Build it as al-um-IN-ium, then run the third syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.
How many syllables does “aluminium” have?
4: al · um · in · ium. The beat lands on the third, “in”.
Is “aluminium” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /ˌæljəˈmɪniəm/ (al-yoo-MIN-ee-uhm); British English says /ˌaljʊˈmɪnɪəm/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “aluminium” mean?
As a noun: a silvery ductile metallic element found primarily in bauxite For example: “The frames are aluminium and need almost no maintenance.”
Where is the stress in “aluminium”?
Stress the third syllable: al-um-IN-ium. “in” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Now say “aluminium” 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.