Pronunciation

How to pronounce “authentic

“authentic” is pronounced /əˈθɛntɪk/ (uh-THEN-tik) in American English and /ɔːθɛntɪk/ in British English, and /ɔˈθɛntɪk/ and /ɔˈθɛnɪk/ and /əˈθɛnɪk/ are also accepted — 3 syllables, stressed on “hen”.
The sound

Say “authentic” in 3 beats

Say it like this

authentic

/əˈθɛntɪk/

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

3 beats
  1. autə
  2. henθɛnstress
  3. tictɪk
IPA (American)
/əˈθɛntɪk/
IPA (British)
/ɔːθɛntɪk/
Also accepted
/ɔˈθɛntɪk/
Also accepted
/ɔˈθɛnɪk/
Also accepted
/əˈθɛnɪk/
Respelling
uh-THEN-tik
Syllables
3 — aut-HEN-tic
Stress
Stress the second syllable: aut-HEN-tic. “hen” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Part of speech
adjective
Difficulty
Pro — the sounds are ordinary, the rhythm is where it slips
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/əˈθɛntɪk/

British

/ɔːθɛntɪk/

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

Meaning

What “authentic” means

  1. adjective

    conforming to fact and therefore worthy of belief

    an authentic account by an eyewitness

  2. adjective

    not counterfeit or copied

    an authentic signature

Say it in a sentence

The recipe tastes authentic because she learned it in Naples.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

7 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

authentic”, answered

How do you pronounce “authentic”?

“authentic” is pronounced /əˈθɛntɪk/ (uh-THEN-tik) in American English and /ɔːθɛntɪk/ in British English, and /ɔˈθɛntɪk/ and /ɔˈθɛnɪk/ and /əˈθɛnɪk/ are also accepted — 3 syllables, stressed on “hen”. Build it as aut-HEN-tic, then run the second syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “authentic” have?

3: aut · hen · tic. The beat lands on the second, “hen”.

Is “authentic” said differently in British English?

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

What does “authentic” mean?

As an adjective: conforming to fact and therefore worthy of belief For example: “an authentic account by an eyewitness” It carries 1 other sense as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “authentic”?

Stress the second syllable: aut-HEN-tic. “hen” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “authentic” 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.