Pronunciation

How to pronounce “eclectic

“eclectic” is pronounced /ɪˈklɛktɪk/ (i-KLEK-tik) in American English and /ɪklɛktɪk/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “lec”.
The sound

Say “eclectic” in 3 beats

Say it like this

eclectic

/ɪˈklɛktɪk/

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

3 beats
  1. ecɪ
  2. lecklɛkstress
  3. tictɪk
IPA (American)
/ɪˈklɛktɪk/
IPA (British)
/ɪklɛktɪk/
Respelling
i-KLEK-tik
Syllables
3 — ec-LEC-tic
Stress
Stress the second syllable: ec-LEC-tic. “lec” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Part of speech
noun, adjective
Difficulty
Pro — the sounds are ordinary, the rhythm is where it slips
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ɪˈklɛktɪk/

British

/ɪklɛktɪk/

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

Meaning

What “eclectic” means

  1. noun

    someone who selects according to the eclectic method

  2. adjective

    selecting what seems best of various styles or ideas

Say it in a sentence

He is an eclectic who borrows whatever seems to work.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

5 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

eclectic”, answered

How do you pronounce “eclectic”?

“eclectic” is pronounced /ɪˈklɛktɪk/ (i-KLEK-tik) in American English and /ɪklɛktɪk/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “lec”. Build it as ec-LEC-tic, then run the second syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “eclectic” have?

3: ec · lec · tic. The beat lands on the second, “lec”.

Is “eclectic” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ɪˈklɛktɪk/ (i-KLEK-tik); British English says /ɪklɛktɪk/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “eclectic” mean?

As a noun: someone who selects according to the eclectic method For example: “He is an eclectic who borrows whatever seems to work.” It carries 1 other sense as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “eclectic”?

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

Practise this word

Now say “eclectic” 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.