How to pronounce “empathetic”
Say “empathetic” in 4 beats
empathetic
/ˌɛmpəˈθɛtɪk/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /ɛmpɐθɛtɪk/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- emɛm
- patpə
- hetθɛstress
- ictɪk
- IPA (American)
- /ˌɛmpəˈθɛtɪk/
- IPA (British)
- /ɛmpɐθɛtɪk/
- Respelling
- em-puh-THE-tik
- Syllables
- 4 — em-pat-HET-ic
- Stress
- Stress the third syllable: em-pat-HET-ic. “het” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
- Part of speech
- adjective
- Difficulty
- Legend — spelling and sound part company here
American and British are not the same here
/ˌɛmpəˈθɛtɪk/
/ɛmpɐθɛtɪk/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
What “empathetic” means
- adjective
showing empathy or ready comprehension of others' states
“a sensitive and empathetic school counselor”
Say it in a sentence
“A good nurse is empathetic without becoming overwhelmed.”The sounds inside this word
Each sound has its own page: where the tongue goes, what it is usually confused with, and words to drill it on.
“empathetic”, answered
How do you pronounce “empathetic”?
“empathetic” is pronounced /ˌɛmpəˈθɛtɪk/ (em-puh-THE-tik) in American English and /ɛmpɐθɛtɪk/ in British English — 4 syllables, stressed on “het”. Build it as em-pat-HET-ic, then run the third syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.
How many syllables does “empathetic” have?
4: em · pat · het · ic. The beat lands on the third, “het”.
Is “empathetic” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /ˌɛmpəˈθɛtɪk/ (em-puh-THE-tik); British English says /ɛmpɐθɛtɪk/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “empathetic” mean?
As an adjective: showing empathy or ready comprehension of others' states For example: “a sensitive and empathetic school counselor”
Where is the stress in “empathetic”?
Stress the third syllable: em-pat-HET-ic. “het” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Now say “empathetic” 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.