Pronunciation

How to pronounce “equilibrium

“equilibrium” is pronounced /ˌikwəˈlɪbɹiəm/ (ee-kwuh-LI-bree-uhm) in American English and /iːkwɪlɪbɹiəm/ in British English — 5 syllables, stressed on “lɪ”.
The sound

Say “equilibrium” in 5 beats

Say it like this

equilibrium

/ˌikwəˈlɪbɹiəm/

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

5 beats
  1. ii
  2. kwəkwə
  3. stress
  4. bɹibɹi
  5. əməm
IPA (American)
/ˌikwəˈlɪbɹiəm/
IPA (British)
/iːkwɪlɪbɹiəm/
Respelling
ee-kwuh-LI-bree-uhm
Syllables
5 — i-kwə-LꞮ-bɹi-əm
Stress
Stress the third syllable: i-kwə-LꞮ-bɹi-əm. “lɪ” 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

/ˌikwəˈlɪbɹiəm/

British

/iːkwɪlɪbɹiəm/

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

Meaning

What “equilibrium” means

  1. noun

    a stable situation in which forces cancel one another

  2. noun

    a chemical reaction and its reverse proceed at equal rates

  3. noun

    equality of distribution

Say it in a sentence

The pond reaches a kind of equilibrium by late summer.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

10 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

equilibrium”, answered

How do you pronounce “equilibrium”?

“equilibrium” is pronounced /ˌikwəˈlɪbɹiəm/ (ee-kwuh-LI-bree-uhm) in American English and /iːkwɪlɪbɹiəm/ in British English — 5 syllables, stressed on “lɪ”. Build it as i-kwə-LꞮ-bɹi-əm, then run the third syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “equilibrium” have?

5: i · kwə · lɪ · bɹi · əm. The beat lands on the third, “lɪ”.

Is “equilibrium” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˌikwəˈlɪbɹiəm/ (ee-kwuh-LI-bree-uhm); British English says /iːkwɪlɪbɹiəm/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “equilibrium” mean?

As a noun: a stable situation in which forces cancel one another For example: “The pond reaches a kind of equilibrium by late summer.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “equilibrium”?

Stress the third syllable: i-kwə-LꞮ-bɹi-əm. “lɪ” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “equilibrium” and see every sound

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