How to pronounce “cynical”
Say “cynical” in 3 beats
cynical
/ˈsɪnɪkəl/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /sɪnɪkəl/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- cynsɪstress
- icnɪ
- alkəl
- IPA (American)
- /ˈsɪnɪkəl/
- IPA (British)
- /sɪnɪkəl/
- Respelling
- SI-ni-kuhl
- Syllables
- 3 — CYN-ic-al
- Stress
- Stress the first syllable: CYN-ic-al. “cyn” 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
American and British are not the same here
/ˈsɪnɪkəl/
/sɪnɪkəl/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
What “cynical” means
- adjective
believing the worst of human nature and motives; having a sneering disbelief in e.g. selflessness of others
Say it in a sentence
“Twenty years in local politics had made him thoroughly cynical.”“cynical”, answered
How do you pronounce “cynical”?
“cynical” is pronounced /ˈsɪnɪkəl/ (SI-ni-kuhl) in American English and /sɪnɪkəl/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “cyn”. Build it as CYN-ic-al, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.
How many syllables does “cynical” have?
3: cyn · ic · al. The beat lands on the first, “cyn”.
Is “cynical” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /ˈsɪnɪkəl/ (SI-ni-kuhl); British English says /sɪnɪkəl/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “cynical” mean?
As an adjective: believing the worst of human nature and motives; having a sneering disbelief in e.g. selflessness of others For example: “Twenty years in local politics had made him thoroughly cynical.”
Where is the stress in “cynical”?
Stress the first syllable: CYN-ic-al. “cyn” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Now say “cynical” 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.