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Pronunciation

How to pronounce “autonomous”

“autonomous” is pronounced /ɔˈtɑnəməs/ (aw-TAH-nuh-muhs) in American English and /ɔːtɒnəməs/ in British English — 4 syllables, stressed on “on”.
The sound

Say “autonomous” in 4 beats

Say it like this

autonomous

/ɔˈtɑnəməs/

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

4 beats
  1. autɔ
  2. ontɑstress
  3. omnə
  4. ousməs
IPA (American)
/ɔˈtɑnəməs/
IPA (British)
/ɔːtɒnəməs/
Respelling
aw-TAH-nuh-muhs
Syllables
4 — aut-ON-om-ous
Stress
Stress the second syllable: aut-ON-om-ous. “on” 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

/ɔˈtɑnəməs/

British

/ɔːtɒnəməs/

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

Meaning

What “autonomous” means

  1. adjective

    (of political bodies) not controlled by outside forces

    “an autonomous judiciary”

  2. adjective

    existing as an independent entity

    “the partitioning of India created two separate and autonomous jute economies”

  3. adjective

    (of persons) free from external control and constraint in e.g. action and judgment

Say it in a sentence

“The island has been autonomous since the treaty was signed.”
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

7 sounds, in the order you say them
ɔawttɑahnnəschwa×2mmss

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

Questions

“autonomous”, answered

How do you pronounce “autonomous”?

“autonomous” is pronounced /ɔˈtɑnəməs/ (aw-TAH-nuh-muhs) in American English and /ɔːtɒnəməs/ in British English — 4 syllables, stressed on “on”. Build it as aut-ON-om-ous, then run the second syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “autonomous” have?

4: aut · on · om · ous. The beat lands on the second, “on”.

Is “autonomous” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ɔˈtɑnəməs/ (aw-TAH-nuh-muhs); British English says /ɔːtɒnəməs/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “autonomous” mean?

As an adjective: (of political bodies) not controlled by outside forces For example: “an autonomous judiciary” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “autonomous”?

Stress the second syllable: aut-ON-om-ous. “on” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

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