Pronunciation

How to pronounce “dramatic

“dramatic” is pronounced /dɹəˈmætɪk/ (druh-MA-tik) in American English and /dɹəmatɪk/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “at”.
The sound

Say “dramatic” in 3 beats

Say it like this

dramatic

/dɹəˈmætɪk/

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

3 beats
  1. dramdɹə
  2. atstress
  3. ictɪk
IPA (American)
/dɹəˈmætɪk/
IPA (British)
/dɹəmatɪk/
Respelling
druh-MA-tik
Syllables
3 — dram-AT-ic
Stress
Stress the second syllable: dram-AT-ic. “at” 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

/dɹəˈmætɪk/

British

/dɹəmatɪk/

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

Meaning

What “dramatic” means

  1. adjective

    suitable to or characteristic of drama

    a dramatic entrance in a swirling cape

  2. adjective

    sensational in appearance or thrilling in effect

    a dramatic sunset

  3. adjective

    pertaining to or characteristic of drama

    dramatic arts

Say it in a sentence

There was a dramatic drop in temperature just after midnight.
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

dramatic”, answered

How do you pronounce “dramatic”?

“dramatic” is pronounced /dɹəˈmætɪk/ (druh-MA-tik) in American English and /dɹəmatɪk/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “at”. Build it as dram-AT-ic, then run the second syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “dramatic” have?

3: dram · at · ic. The beat lands on the second, “at”.

Is “dramatic” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /dɹəˈmætɪk/ (druh-MA-tik); British English says /dɹəmatɪk/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “dramatic” mean?

As an adjective: suitable to or characteristic of drama For example: “a dramatic entrance in a swirling cape” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “dramatic”?

Stress the second syllable: dram-AT-ic. “at” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “dramatic” 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.