How to pronounce “esoteric”
Say “esoteric” in 4 beats
esoteric
/ˌɛsəˈtɛɹɪk/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /ɛsəʊtɛɹɪk/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- esɛ
- otsə
- ertɛstress
- icɹɪk
- IPA (American)
- /ˌɛsəˈtɛɹɪk/
- IPA (British)
- /ɛsəʊtɛɹɪk/
- Also accepted
- /ˌɛsoʊˈtɛɹɪk/
- Respelling
- e-suh-TE-rik
- Syllables
- 4 — es-ot-ER-ic
- Stress
- Stress the third syllable: es-ot-ER-ic. “er” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
- Part of speech
- adjective
- Difficulty
- Pro — the sounds are ordinary, the rhythm is where it slips
American and British are not the same here
/ˌɛsəˈtɛɹɪk/
/ɛsəʊtɛɹɪk/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
What “esoteric” means
- adjective
confined to and understandable by only an enlightened inner circle
“a compilation of esoteric philosophical theories”
Say it in a sentence
“The society's rules are esoteric and rarely written down.”“esoteric”, answered
How do you pronounce “esoteric”?
“esoteric” is pronounced /ˌɛsəˈtɛɹɪk/ (e-suh-TE-rik) in American English and /ɛsəʊtɛɹɪk/ in British English, and /ˌɛsoʊˈtɛɹɪk/ is also accepted — 4 syllables, stressed on “er”. Build it as es-ot-ER-ic, then run the third syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.
How many syllables does “esoteric” have?
4: es · ot · er · ic. The beat lands on the third, “er”.
Is “esoteric” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /ˌɛsəˈtɛɹɪk/ (e-suh-TE-rik); British English says /ɛsəʊtɛɹɪk/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “esoteric” mean?
As an adjective: confined to and understandable by only an enlightened inner circle For example: “a compilation of esoteric philosophical theories”
Where is the stress in “esoteric”?
Stress the third syllable: es-ot-ER-ic. “er” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Now say “esoteric” 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.