sayitsayit
Pronunciation

How to pronounce “insomnia”

“insomnia” is pronounced /ˌɪnˈsɑmniə/ (in-SAHM-nee-uh) in American English and /ɪnsɒmniə/ in British English — 4 syllables, stressed on “sɑm”.
The sound

Say “insomnia” in 4 beats

Say it like this

insomnia

/ˌɪnˈsɑmniə/

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

4 beats
  1. ɪnɪn
  2. sɑmsɑmstress
  3. nini
  4. əə
IPA (American)
/ˌɪnˈsɑmniə/
IPA (British)
/ɪnsɒmniə/
Respelling
in-SAHM-nee-uh
Syllables
4 — ɪn-SⱭM-ni-ə
Stress
Stress the second syllable: ɪn-SⱭM-ni-ə. “sɑm” 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

/ˌɪnˈsɑmniə/

British

/ɪnsɒmniə/

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

Meaning

What “insomnia” means

  1. noun

    an inability to sleep; chronic sleeplessness

Say it in a sentence

“Insomnia kept him awake for most of that difficult year.”
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

6 sounds, in the order you say them
ɪshort inn×2ssɑahmmɪəear

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

Questions

“insomnia”, answered

How do you pronounce “insomnia”?

“insomnia” is pronounced /ˌɪnˈsɑmniə/ (in-SAHM-nee-uh) in American English and /ɪnsɒmniə/ in British English — 4 syllables, stressed on “sɑm”. Build it as ɪn-SⱭM-ni-ə, then run the second syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “insomnia” have?

4: ɪn · sɑm · ni · ə. The beat lands on the second, “sɑm”.

Is “insomnia” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˌɪnˈsɑmniə/ (in-SAHM-nee-uh); British English says /ɪnsɒmniə/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “insomnia” mean?

As a noun: an inability to sleep; chronic sleeplessness For example: “Insomnia kept him awake for most of that difficult year.”

Where is the stress in “insomnia”?

Stress the second syllable: ɪn-SⱭM-ni-ə. “sɑm” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “insomnia” 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.

Practise this word freeMore words with I