Pronunciation

How to pronounce “chronic

“chronic” is pronounced /ˈkɹɑnɪk/ (KRON-ik) in American English and /ˈkɹɒnɪk/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “chron”.
The sound

Say “chronic” in 2 beats

Say it like this

chronic

/ˈkɹɑnɪk/

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

2 beats
  1. chronkɹɑstress
  2. icnɪk
IPA (American)
/ˈkɹɑnɪk/
IPA (British)
/ˈkɹɒnɪk/
Respelling
KRON-ik
Syllables
2 — CHRON-ic
Stress
Stress the first syllable: CHRON-ic. “chron” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls 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

/ˈkɹɑnɪk/

British

/ˈkɹɒnɪk/

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

Watch out

Where “chronic” goes wrong

  • Often heard

    CHRON-ik with a ch

    the ch is a hard k: KRON-ik

Meaning

What “chronic” means

  1. adjective

    being long-lasting and recurrent or characterized by long suffering

    chronic indigestion

  2. adjective

    of long duration

    chronic money problems

  3. adjective

    habitual

    a chronic smoker

Say it in a sentence

He has managed chronic back pain for most of his adult life.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

5 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

chronic”, answered

How do you pronounce “chronic”?

“chronic” is pronounced /ˈkɹɑnɪk/ (KRON-ik) in American English and /ˈkɹɒnɪk/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “chron”. Build it as CHRON-ic, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “chronic” have?

2: chron · ic. The beat lands on the first, “chron”.

Is “chronic” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈkɹɑnɪk/ (KRON-ik); British English says /ˈkɹɒnɪk/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “chronic” mean?

As an adjective: being long-lasting and recurrent or characterized by long suffering For example: “chronic indigestion” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “chronic”?

Stress the first syllable: CHRON-ic. “chron” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “chronic” 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.