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Pronunciation

How to pronounce “euphemism”

“euphemism” is pronounced /ˈjufəˌmɪzəm/ (YOO-fuh-mi-zuhm) in American English and /juːfəmɪzəm/ in British English — 4 syllables, stressed on “ju”.
The sound

Say “euphemism” in 4 beats

Say it like this

euphemism

/ˈjufəˌmɪzəm/

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

4 beats
  1. jujustress
  2. fəfə
  3. mɪmɪ
  4. zəmzəm
IPA (American)
/ˈjufəˌmɪzəm/
IPA (British)
/juːfəmɪzəm/
Respelling
YOO-fuh-mi-zuhm
Syllables
4 — JU-fə-mɪ-zəm
Stress
Stress the first syllable: JU-fə-mɪ-zəm. “ju” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Part of speech
noun
Difficulty
Legend — spelling and sound part company here
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˈjufəˌmɪzəm/

British

/juːfəmɪzəm/

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

Meaning

What “euphemism” means

  1. noun

    an inoffensive or indirect expression that is substituted for one that is considered offensive or too harsh

Say it in a sentence

“'Between jobs' is a common euphemism for being out of work.”
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

7 sounds, in the order you say them
jyulong ooffəschwa×2mm×2ɪshort izz

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

Questions

“euphemism”, answered

How do you pronounce “euphemism”?

“euphemism” is pronounced /ˈjufəˌmɪzəm/ (YOO-fuh-mi-zuhm) in American English and /juːfəmɪzəm/ in British English — 4 syllables, stressed on “ju”. Build it as JU-fə-mɪ-zəm, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “euphemism” have?

4: ju · fə · mɪ · zəm. The beat lands on the first, “ju”.

Is “euphemism” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈjufəˌmɪzəm/ (YOO-fuh-mi-zuhm); British English says /juːfəmɪzəm/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “euphemism” mean?

As a noun: an inoffensive or indirect expression that is substituted for one that is considered offensive or too harsh For example: “'Between jobs' is a common euphemism for being out of work.”

Where is the stress in “euphemism”?

Stress the first syllable: JU-fə-mɪ-zəm. “ju” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

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