Pronunciation

How to pronounce “chemistry

“chemistry” is pronounced /ˈkɛməstɹi/ (KE-muh-stree) in American English and /kɛmɪstɹi/ in British English, and /ˈkɛmɪstɹi/ is also accepted — 3 syllables, stressed on “chem”.
The sound

Say “chemistry” in 3 beats

Say it like this

chemistry

/ˈkɛməstɹi/

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

3 beats
  1. chemstress
  2. ist
  3. rystɹi
IPA (American)
/ˈkɛməstɹi/
IPA (British)
/kɛmɪstɹi/
Also accepted
/ˈkɛmɪstɹi/
Respelling
KE-muh-stree
Syllables
3 — CHEM-ist-ry
Stress
Stress the first syllable: CHEM-ist-ry. “chem” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Part of speech
noun
Difficulty
Pro — the sounds are ordinary, the rhythm is where it slips
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˈkɛməstɹi/

British

/kɛmɪstɹi/

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

Meaning

What “chemistry” means

  1. noun

    the science of matter; the branch of the natural sciences dealing with the composition of substances and their properties and reactions

  2. noun

    the chemical composition and properties of a substance or object

    the chemistry of soil

  3. noun

    the way two individuals relate to each other

    their chemistry was wrong from the beginning -- they hated each other

Say it in a sentence

Chemistry made sense once he started doing it with his hands.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

8 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

chemistry”, answered

How do you pronounce “chemistry”?

“chemistry” is pronounced /ˈkɛməstɹi/ (KE-muh-stree) in American English and /kɛmɪstɹi/ in British English, and /ˈkɛmɪstɹi/ is also accepted — 3 syllables, stressed on “chem”. Build it as CHEM-ist-ry, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “chemistry” have?

3: chem · ist · ry. The beat lands on the first, “chem”.

Is “chemistry” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈkɛməstɹi/ (KE-muh-stree); British English says /kɛmɪstɹi/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “chemistry” mean?

As a noun: the science of matter; the branch of the natural sciences dealing with the composition of substances and their properties and reactions For example: “Chemistry made sense once he started doing it with his hands.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “chemistry”?

Stress the first syllable: CHEM-ist-ry. “chem” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “chemistry” and see every sound

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