How to pronounce “dilatory”
Say “dilatory” in 4 beats
dilatory
/ˈdɪləˌtɔɹi/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /dɪlətəɹi/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- dildɪstress
- atlə
- ortɔ
- yɹi
- IPA (American)
- /ˈdɪləˌtɔɹi/
- IPA (British)
- /dɪlətəɹi/
- Respelling
- DI-luh-taw-ree
- Syllables
- 4 — DIL-at-or-y
- Stress
- Stress the first syllable: DIL-at-or-y. “dil” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
- Part of speech
- adjective
- Difficulty
- Legend — spelling and sound part company here
American and British are not the same here
/ˈdɪləˌtɔɹi/
/dɪlətəɹi/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
What “dilatory” means
- adjective
wasting time
Say it in a sentence
“The builders were dilatory, and the kitchen took nine months.”“dilatory”, answered
How do you pronounce “dilatory”?
“dilatory” is pronounced /ˈdɪləˌtɔɹi/ (DI-luh-taw-ree) in American English and /dɪlətəɹi/ in British English — 4 syllables, stressed on “dil”. Build it as DIL-at-or-y, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.
How many syllables does “dilatory” have?
4: dil · at · or · y. The beat lands on the first, “dil”.
Is “dilatory” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /ˈdɪləˌtɔɹi/ (DI-luh-taw-ree); British English says /dɪlətəɹi/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “dilatory” mean?
As an adjective: wasting time For example: “The builders were dilatory, and the kitchen took nine months.”
Where is the stress in “dilatory”?
Stress the first syllable: DIL-at-or-y. “dil” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Now say “dilatory” 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.