Pronunciation

How to pronounce “antibiotic

“antibiotic” is pronounced /ˌæntibaɪˈɑtɪk/ (an-tee-by-AH-tik) in American English and /antɪbaɪɒtɪk/ in British English, and /ˌæntaɪbaɪˈɑtɪk/ is also accepted — 5 syllables, stressed on “ɑ”.
The sound

Say “antibiotic” in 5 beats

Say it like this

antibiotic

/ˌæntibaɪˈɑtɪk/

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

5 beats
  1. ænæn
  2. titi
  3. baɪbaɪ
  4. ɑɑstress
  5. tɪktɪk
IPA (American)
/ˌæntibaɪˈɑtɪk/
IPA (British)
/antɪbaɪɒtɪk/
Also accepted
/ˌæntaɪbaɪˈɑtɪk/
Respelling
an-tee-by-AH-tik
Syllables
5 — æn-ti-baɪ-Ɑ-tɪk
Stress
Stress the fourth syllable: æn-ti-baɪ-Ɑ-tɪk. “ɑ” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Part of speech
noun, adjective
Difficulty
Pro — the sounds are ordinary, the rhythm is where it slips
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˌæntibaɪˈɑtɪk/

British

/antɪbaɪɒtɪk/

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

Meaning

What “antibiotic” means

  1. noun

    a chemical substance derivable from a mold or bacterium that can kill microorganisms and cure bacterial infections

    when antibiotics were first discovered they were called wonder drugs

  2. adjective

    of or relating to antibiotic drugs

Say it in a sentence

An antibiotic cleared the infection in five days.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

9 sounds, in the order you say them

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

Questions

antibiotic”, answered

How do you pronounce “antibiotic”?

“antibiotic” is pronounced /ˌæntibaɪˈɑtɪk/ (an-tee-by-AH-tik) in American English and /antɪbaɪɒtɪk/ in British English, and /ˌæntaɪbaɪˈɑtɪk/ is also accepted — 5 syllables, stressed on “ɑ”. Build it as æn-ti-baɪ-Ɑ-tɪk, then run the fourth syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “antibiotic” have?

5: æn · ti · baɪ · ɑ · tɪk. The beat lands on the fourth, “ɑ”.

Is “antibiotic” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˌæntibaɪˈɑtɪk/ (an-tee-by-AH-tik); British English says /antɪbaɪɒtɪk/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “antibiotic” mean?

As a noun: a chemical substance derivable from a mold or bacterium that can kill microorganisms and cure bacterial infections For example: “when antibiotics were first discovered they were called wonder drugs” It carries 1 other sense as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “antibiotic”?

Stress the fourth syllable: æn-ti-baɪ-Ɑ-tɪk. “ɑ” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “antibiotic” and see every sound

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