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Pronunciation

How to pronounce “determine”

“determine” is pronounced /dəˈtɝmən/ (duh-TUR-muhn) in American English and /dɪtɜːmɪn/ in British English, and /dɪˈtɝmən/ is also accepted — 3 syllables, stressed on “tɝ”.
The sound

Say “determine” in 3 beats

Say it like this

determine

/dəˈtɝmən/

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

3 beats
  1. dədə
  2. tɝtɝstress
  3. mənmən
IPA (American)
/dəˈtɝmən/
IPA (British)
/dɪtɜːmɪn/
Also accepted
/dɪˈtɝmən/
Respelling
duh-TUR-muhn
Syllables
3 — də-Tɝ-mən
Stress
Stress the second syllable: də-Tɝ-mən. “tɝ” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Part of speech
verb
Difficulty
Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/dəˈtɝmən/

British

/dɪtɜːmɪn/

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

Meaning

What “determine” means

  1. verb

    establish after a calculation, investigation, experiment, survey, or study

    “find the product of two numbers”

  2. verb

    shape or influence; give direction to

    “experience often determines ability”

  3. verb

    fix conclusively or authoritatively

    “set the rules”

Say it in a sentence

“The survey will determine whether the garden wall is safe.”
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

6 sounds, in the order you say them
ddəschwa×2ttɝermmnn

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

Questions

“determine”, answered

How do you pronounce “determine”?

“determine” is pronounced /dəˈtɝmən/ (duh-TUR-muhn) in American English and /dɪtɜːmɪn/ in British English, and /dɪˈtɝmən/ is also accepted — 3 syllables, stressed on “tɝ”. Build it as də-Tɝ-mən, then run the second syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “determine” have?

3: də · tɝ · mən. The beat lands on the second, “tɝ”.

Is “determine” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /dəˈtɝmən/ (duh-TUR-muhn); British English says /dɪtɜːmɪn/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “determine” mean?

As a verb: establish after a calculation, investigation, experiment, survey, or study For example: “find the product of two numbers” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “determine”?

Stress the second syllable: də-Tɝ-mən. “tɝ” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “determine” and see every sound

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