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Pronunciation

How to pronounce “anaesthesia”

“anaesthesia” is pronounced /ˌænəsˈθiʒə/ (a-nuhs-THEE-zhuh) in American English and /anəsθiːziə/ in British English — 4 syllables, stressed on “hes”.
The sound

Say “anaesthesia” in 4 beats

Say it like this

anaesthesia

/ˌænəsˈθiʒə/

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

4 beats
  1. anæ
  2. aestnəs
  3. hesθistress
  4. iaʒə
IPA (American)
/ˌænəsˈθiʒə/
IPA (British)
/anəsθiːziə/
Respelling
a-nuhs-THEE-zhuh
Syllables
4 — an-aest-HES-ia
Stress
Stress the third syllable: an-aest-HES-ia. “hes” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Part of speech
noun
Difficulty
Legend — spelling and sound part company here
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˌænəsˈθiʒə/

British

/anəsθiːziə/

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

Meaning

What “anaesthesia” means

  1. noun

    loss of bodily sensation with or without loss of consciousness

Say it in a sentence

“The anaesthesia wore off gradually over the afternoon.”
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

7 sounds, in the order you say them
æshort annəschwa×2ssθth voicelessilong eʒzh

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

Questions

“anaesthesia”, answered

How do you pronounce “anaesthesia”?

“anaesthesia” is pronounced /ˌænəsˈθiʒə/ (a-nuhs-THEE-zhuh) in American English and /anəsθiːziə/ in British English — 4 syllables, stressed on “hes”. Build it as an-aest-HES-ia, then run the third syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “anaesthesia” have?

4: an · aest · hes · ia. The beat lands on the third, “hes”.

Is “anaesthesia” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˌænəsˈθiʒə/ (a-nuhs-THEE-zhuh); British English says /anəsθiːziə/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “anaesthesia” mean?

As a noun: loss of bodily sensation with or without loss of consciousness For example: “The anaesthesia wore off gradually over the afternoon.”

Where is the stress in “anaesthesia”?

Stress the third syllable: an-aest-HES-ia. “hes” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

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