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Pronunciation

How to pronounce “efficacy”

“efficacy” is pronounced /ˈɛfɪˌkæsi/ (E-fi-ka-see) in American English and /ɛfɪkəsi/ in British English — 4 syllables, stressed on “ef”.
The sound

Say “efficacy” in 4 beats

Say it like this

efficacy

/ˈɛfɪˌkæsi/

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

4 beats
  1. efɛstress
  2. ficfɪ
  3. ackæ
  4. ysi
IPA (American)
/ˈɛfɪˌkæsi/
IPA (British)
/ɛfɪkəsi/
Respelling
E-fi-ka-see
Syllables
4 — EF-fic-ac-y
Stress
Stress the first syllable: EF-fic-ac-y. “ef” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Part of speech
noun
Difficulty
Pro — the sounds are ordinary, the rhythm is where it slips
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˈɛfɪˌkæsi/

British

/ɛfɪkəsi/

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

Meaning

What “efficacy” means

  1. noun

    capacity or power to produce a desired effect

    “concern about the safety and efficacy of the vaccine”

Say it in a sentence

“Nobody has tested the efficacy of that old family remedy.”
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

7 sounds, in the order you say them
ɛshort effɪshort ikkæshort assilong e

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

Questions

“efficacy”, answered

How do you pronounce “efficacy”?

“efficacy” is pronounced /ˈɛfɪˌkæsi/ (E-fi-ka-see) in American English and /ɛfɪkəsi/ in British English — 4 syllables, stressed on “ef”. Build it as EF-fic-ac-y, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “efficacy” have?

4: ef · fic · ac · y. The beat lands on the first, “ef”.

Is “efficacy” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈɛfɪˌkæsi/ (E-fi-ka-see); British English says /ɛfɪkəsi/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “efficacy” mean?

As a noun: capacity or power to produce a desired effect For example: “concern about the safety and efficacy of the vaccine”

Where is the stress in “efficacy”?

Stress the first syllable: EF-fic-ac-y. “ef” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “efficacy” and see every sound

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