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Pronunciation

How to pronounce “invective”

“invective” is pronounced /ˌɪnˈvɛktɪv/ (in-VEK-tiv) in American English and /ɪnvɛktɪv/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “vɛk”.
The sound

Say “invective” in 3 beats

Say it like this

invective

/ˌɪnˈvɛktɪv/

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

3 beats
  1. ɪnɪn
  2. vɛkvɛkstress
  3. tɪvtɪv
IPA (American)
/ˌɪnˈvɛktɪv/
IPA (British)
/ɪnvɛktɪv/
Respelling
in-VEK-tiv
Syllables
3 — ɪn-VƐK-tɪv
Stress
Stress the second syllable: ɪn-VƐK-tɪv. “vɛk” 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

/ˌɪnˈvɛktɪv/

British

/ɪnvɛktɪv/

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

Meaning

What “invective” means

  1. noun

    abusive or venomous language used to express blame or censure or bitter deep-seated ill will

Say it in a sentence

“His letter dissolved into invective by the second page.”
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

6 sounds, in the order you say them
ɪshort i×2nnvv×2ɛshort ekktt

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

Questions

“invective”, answered

How do you pronounce “invective”?

“invective” is pronounced /ˌɪnˈvɛktɪv/ (in-VEK-tiv) in American English and /ɪnvɛktɪv/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “vɛk”. Build it as ɪn-VƐK-tɪv, then run the second syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “invective” have?

3: ɪn · vɛk · tɪv. The beat lands on the second, “vɛk”.

Is “invective” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˌɪnˈvɛktɪv/ (in-VEK-tiv); British English says /ɪnvɛktɪv/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “invective” mean?

As a noun: abusive or venomous language used to express blame or censure or bitter deep-seated ill will For example: “His letter dissolved into invective by the second page.”

Where is the stress in “invective”?

Stress the second syllable: ɪn-VƐK-tɪv. “vɛk” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

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