Pronunciation

How to pronounce “disproportionate

“disproportionate” is pronounced /ˌdɪspɹəˈpɔɹʃənɪt/ (di-spruh-PAWR-shuh-nit) in American English and /dɪspɹəpɔːʃənət/ in British English — 5 syllables, stressed on “pɔɹ”.
The sound

Say “disproportionate” in 5 beats

Say it like this

disproportionate

/ˌdɪspɹəˈpɔɹʃənɪt/

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

5 beats
  1. spɹəspɹə
  2. pɔɹpɔɹstress
  3. ʃəʃə
  4. nɪtnɪt
IPA (American)
/ˌdɪspɹəˈpɔɹʃənɪt/
IPA (British)
/dɪspɹəpɔːʃənət/
Respelling
di-spruh-PAWR-shuh-nit
Syllables
5 — dɪ-spɹə-PƆɹ-ʃə-nɪt
Stress
Stress the third syllable: dɪ-spɹə-PƆɹ-ʃə-nɪt. “pɔɹ” 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
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˌdɪspɹəˈpɔɹʃənɪt/

British

/dɪspɹəpɔːʃənət/

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

Meaning

What “disproportionate” means

  1. adjective

    out of proportion

  2. adjective

    not proportionate

Say it in a sentence

A disproportionate share of the cost fell on small farms.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

10 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

disproportionate”, answered

How do you pronounce “disproportionate”?

“disproportionate” is pronounced /ˌdɪspɹəˈpɔɹʃənɪt/ (di-spruh-PAWR-shuh-nit) in American English and /dɪspɹəpɔːʃənət/ in British English — 5 syllables, stressed on “pɔɹ”. Build it as dɪ-spɹə-PƆɹ-ʃə-nɪt, then run the third syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “disproportionate” have?

5: dɪ · spɹə · pɔɹ · ʃə · nɪt. The beat lands on the third, “pɔɹ”.

Is “disproportionate” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˌdɪspɹəˈpɔɹʃənɪt/ (di-spruh-PAWR-shuh-nit); British English says /dɪspɹəpɔːʃənət/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “disproportionate” mean?

As an adjective: out of proportion For example: “A disproportionate share of the cost fell on small farms.” It carries 1 other sense as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “disproportionate”?

Stress the third syllable: dɪ-spɹə-PƆɹ-ʃə-nɪt. “pɔɹ” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “disproportionate” and see every sound

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