How to pronounce “caustic”
Say “caustic” in 2 beats
caustic
/ˈkɑstɪk/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /kɔːstɪk/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- causkɑstress
- ticstɪk
- IPA (American)
- /ˈkɑstɪk/
- IPA (British)
- /kɔːstɪk/
- Also accepted
- /ˈkɔstɪk/
- Respelling
- KAH-stik
- Syllables
- 2 — CAUS-tic
- Stress
- Stress the first syllable: CAUS-tic. “caus” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
- Part of speech
- noun, adjective
- Difficulty
- Legend — spelling and sound part company here
American and British are not the same here
/ˈkɑstɪk/
/kɔːstɪk/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
What “caustic” means
- noun
any chemical substance that burns or destroys living tissue
- adjective
harsh or corrosive in tone
“an acerbic tone piercing otherwise flowery prose”
- adjective
of a substance, especially a strong acid; capable of destroying or eating away by chemical action
Say it in a sentence
“Wear gloves, because that drain cleaner is strongly caustic.”“caustic”, answered
How do you pronounce “caustic”?
“caustic” is pronounced /ˈkɑstɪk/ (KAH-stik) in American English and /kɔːstɪk/ in British English, and /ˈkɔstɪk/ is also accepted — 2 syllables, stressed on “caus”. Build it as CAUS-tic, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.
How many syllables does “caustic” have?
2: caus · tic. The beat lands on the first, “caus”.
Is “caustic” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /ˈkɑstɪk/ (KAH-stik); British English says /kɔːstɪk/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “caustic” mean?
As a noun: any chemical substance that burns or destroys living tissue For example: “Wear gloves, because that drain cleaner is strongly caustic.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.
Where is the stress in “caustic”?
Stress the first syllable: CAUS-tic. “caus” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Now say “caustic” 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.