Pronunciation

How to pronounce “characteristically

“characteristically” is pronounced /ˌkɛɹəktɚˈɪstɪkli/ (ke-ruhk-tuh-I-sti-klee) in American English and /kaɹɪktəɹɪstɪkli/ in British English — 6 syllables, stressed on “ɪ”.
The sound

Say “characteristically” in 6 beats

Say it like this

characteristically

/ˌkɛɹəktɚˈɪstɪkli/

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

6 beats
  1. ɹəkɹək
  2. ɪɪstress
  3. stɪstɪ
  4. klikli
IPA (American)
/ˌkɛɹəktɚˈɪstɪkli/
IPA (British)
/kaɹɪktəɹɪstɪkli/
Respelling
ke-ruhk-tuh-I-sti-klee
Syllables
6 — kɛ-ɹək-tɚ-Ɪ-stɪ-kli
Stress
Stress the fourth syllable: kɛ-ɹək-tɚ-Ɪ-stɪ-kli. “ɪ” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Part of speech
adverb
Difficulty
Legend — spelling and sound part company here
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˌkɛɹəktɚˈɪstɪkli/

British

/kaɹɪktəɹɪstɪkli/

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

Meaning

What “characteristically” means

  1. adverb

    in characteristic manner

    he arrived characteristically late

Say it in a sentence

He was characteristically early and waited outside in the rain.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

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

Questions

characteristically”, answered

How do you pronounce “characteristically”?

“characteristically” is pronounced /ˌkɛɹəktɚˈɪstɪkli/ (ke-ruhk-tuh-I-sti-klee) in American English and /kaɹɪktəɹɪstɪkli/ in British English — 6 syllables, stressed on “ɪ”. Build it as kɛ-ɹək-tɚ-Ɪ-stɪ-kli, then run the fourth syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “characteristically” have?

6: kɛ · ɹək · tɚ · ɪ · stɪ · kli. The beat lands on the fourth, “ɪ”.

Is “characteristically” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˌkɛɹəktɚˈɪstɪkli/ (ke-ruhk-tuh-I-sti-klee); British English says /kaɹɪktəɹɪstɪkli/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “characteristically” mean?

As an adverb: in characteristic manner For example: “he arrived characteristically late”

Where is the stress in “characteristically”?

Stress the fourth syllable: kɛ-ɹək-tɚ-Ɪ-stɪ-kli. “ɪ” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “characteristically” and see every sound

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