Pronunciation

How to pronounce “ascetic

“ascetic” is pronounced /əˈsɛtɪk/ (uh-SE-tik) in American English and /ɐsɛtɪk/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “cet”.
The sound

Say “ascetic” in 3 beats

Say it like this

ascetic

/əˈsɛtɪk/

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

3 beats
  1. asə
  2. cetstress
  3. ictɪk
IPA (American)
/əˈsɛtɪk/
IPA (British)
/ɐsɛtɪk/
Respelling
uh-SE-tik
Syllables
3 — as-CET-ic
Stress
Stress the second syllable: as-CET-ic. “cet” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Part of speech
noun, adjective
Difficulty
Legend — spelling and sound part company here
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/əˈsɛtɪk/

British

/ɐsɛtɪk/

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

Meaning

What “ascetic” means

  1. noun

    someone who practices self denial as a spiritual discipline

  2. adjective

    pertaining to or characteristic of an ascetic or the practice of rigorous self-discipline

    ascetic practices

  3. adjective

    practicing great self-denial; - William James

    Be systematically ascetic...do...something for no other reason than that you would rather not do it

Say it in a sentence

He lived as an ascetic in a hut above the valley.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

6 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

ascetic”, answered

How do you pronounce “ascetic”?

“ascetic” is pronounced /əˈsɛtɪk/ (uh-SE-tik) in American English and /ɐsɛtɪk/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “cet”. Build it as as-CET-ic, then run the second syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “ascetic” have?

3: as · cet · ic. The beat lands on the second, “cet”.

Is “ascetic” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /əˈsɛtɪk/ (uh-SE-tik); British English says /ɐsɛtɪk/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “ascetic” mean?

As a noun: someone who practices self denial as a spiritual discipline For example: “He lived as an ascetic in a hut above the valley.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “ascetic”?

Stress the second syllable: as-CET-ic. “cet” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “ascetic” 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.