Pronunciation

How to pronounce “idiosyncrasy

“idiosyncrasy” is pronounced /ˌɪdiəˈsɪŋkɹəsi/ (id-ee-uh-SING-kruh-see) in American English and /ˌɪdɪəˈsɪŋkɹəsi/ in British English — 5 syllables, stressed on “ync”.
The sound

Say “idiosyncrasy” in 5 beats

Say it like this

idiosyncrasy

/ˌɪdiəˈsɪŋkɹəsi/

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

5 beats
  1. idɪ
  2. iosdɪə
  3. yncsɪŋstress
  4. raskɹə
  5. ysi
IPA (American)
/ˌɪdiəˈsɪŋkɹəsi/
IPA (British)
/ˌɪdɪəˈsɪŋkɹəsi/
Respelling
id-ee-uh-SING-kruh-see
Syllables
5 — id-ios-YNC-ras-y
Stress
Stress the third syllable: id-ios-YNC-ras-y. “ync” 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

/ˌɪdiəˈsɪŋkɹəsi/

British

/ˌɪdɪəˈsɪŋkɹəsi/

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

Watch out

Where “idiosyncrasy” goes wrong

  • Often heard

    id-ee-oh-SIN-krassy

    the stress is on SING and the ending is -kruh-see

Meaning

What “idiosyncrasy” means

  1. noun

    a behavioral attribute that is distinctive and peculiar to an individual

Say it in a sentence

Writing only in pencil is an idiosyncrasy she never lost.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

9 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

idiosyncrasy”, answered

How do you pronounce “idiosyncrasy”?

“idiosyncrasy” is pronounced /ˌɪdiəˈsɪŋkɹəsi/ (id-ee-uh-SING-kruh-see) in American English and /ˌɪdɪəˈsɪŋkɹəsi/ in British English — 5 syllables, stressed on “ync”. Build it as id-ios-YNC-ras-y, then run the third syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “idiosyncrasy” have?

5: id · ios · ync · ras · y. The beat lands on the third, “ync”.

Is “idiosyncrasy” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˌɪdiəˈsɪŋkɹəsi/ (id-ee-uh-SING-kruh-see); British English says /ˌɪdɪəˈsɪŋkɹəsi/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “idiosyncrasy” mean?

As a noun: a behavioral attribute that is distinctive and peculiar to an individual For example: “Writing only in pencil is an idiosyncrasy she never lost.”

Where is the stress in “idiosyncrasy”?

Stress the third syllable: id-ios-YNC-ras-y. “ync” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “idiosyncrasy” and see every sound

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