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Pronunciation

How to pronounce “economy”

“economy” is pronounced /ɪˈkɑnəmi/ (i-KAH-nuh-mee) in American English and /ɪkɒnəmi/ in British English, and /iˈkɑnəmi/ is also accepted — 4 syllables, stressed on “on”.
The sound

Say “economy” in 4 beats

Say it like this

economy

/ɪˈkɑnəmi/

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

4 beats
  1. ecɪ
  2. onkɑstress
  3. omnə
  4. ymi
IPA (American)
/ɪˈkɑnəmi/
IPA (British)
/ɪkɒnəmi/
Also accepted
/iˈkɑnəmi/
Respelling
i-KAH-nuh-mee
Syllables
4 — ec-ON-om-y
Stress
Stress the second syllable: ec-ON-om-y. “on” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Part of speech
noun
Difficulty
Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ɪˈkɑnəmi/

British

/ɪkɒnəmi/

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

Meaning

What “economy” means

  1. noun

    the system of production and distribution and consumption

  2. noun

    the efficient use of resources

    “economy of effort”

  3. noun

    frugality in the expenditure of money or resources

    “the Scots are famous for their economy”

Say it in a sentence

“The local economy depends heavily on fishing and tourism.”
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

7 sounds, in the order you say them
ɪshort ikkɑahnnəschwammilong e

Each sound has its own page: where the tongue goes, what it is usually confused with, and words to drill it on.

Questions

“economy”, answered

How do you pronounce “economy”?

“economy” is pronounced /ɪˈkɑnəmi/ (i-KAH-nuh-mee) in American English and /ɪkɒnəmi/ in British English, and /iˈkɑnəmi/ is also accepted — 4 syllables, stressed on “on”. Build it as ec-ON-om-y, then run the second syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “economy” have?

4: ec · on · om · y. The beat lands on the second, “on”.

Is “economy” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ɪˈkɑnəmi/ (i-KAH-nuh-mee); British English says /ɪkɒnəmi/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “economy” mean?

As a noun: the system of production and distribution and consumption For example: “The local economy depends heavily on fishing and tourism.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “economy”?

Stress the second syllable: ec-ON-om-y. “on” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “economy” and see every sound

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