Pronunciation

How to pronounce “domestic

“domestic” is pronounced /dəˈmɛstɪk/ (duh-ME-stik) in American English and /dəmɛstɪk/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “es”.
The sound

Say “domestic” in 3 beats

Say it like this

domestic

/dəˈmɛstɪk/

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

3 beats
  1. dom
  2. esstress
  3. ticstɪk
IPA (American)
/dəˈmɛstɪk/
IPA (British)
/dəmɛstɪk/
Respelling
duh-ME-stik
Syllables
3 — dom-ES-tic
Stress
Stress the second syllable: dom-ES-tic. “es” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Part of speech
noun, adjective
Difficulty
Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/dəˈmɛstɪk/

British

/dəmɛstɪk/

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

Meaning

What “domestic” means

  1. noun

    a servant who is paid to perform menial tasks around the household

  2. adjective

    of concern to or concerning the internal affairs of a nation

    domestic issues such as tax rate and highway construction

  3. adjective

    of or relating to the home

    domestic servant

Say it in a sentence

The house once employed a cook and one live-in domestic.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

8 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

domestic”, answered

How do you pronounce “domestic”?

“domestic” is pronounced /dəˈmɛstɪk/ (duh-ME-stik) in American English and /dəmɛstɪk/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “es”. Build it as dom-ES-tic, then run the second syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “domestic” have?

3: dom · es · tic. The beat lands on the second, “es”.

Is “domestic” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /dəˈmɛstɪk/ (duh-ME-stik); British English says /dəmɛstɪk/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “domestic” mean?

As a noun: a servant who is paid to perform menial tasks around the household For example: “The house once employed a cook and one live-in domestic.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “domestic”?

Stress the second syllable: dom-ES-tic. “es” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “domestic” 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.