Pronunciation

How to pronounce “isthmus

“isthmus” is pronounced /ˈɪsməs/ (ISS-muhs) — 2 syllables, stressed on “ist”.
The sound

Say “isthmus” in 2 beats

Say it like this

isthmus

/ˈɪsməs/

The voice you hear here is American; a British voice is available in the app's settings.

2 beats
  1. istɪstress
  2. hmussməs
IPA (American)
/ˈɪsməs/
IPA (British)
/ˈɪsməs/
Respelling
ISS-muhs
Syllables
2 — IST-hmus
Stress
Stress the first syllable: IST-hmus. “ist” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Part of speech
noun
Difficulty
Legend — spelling and sound part company here
Watch out

Where “isthmus” goes wrong

  • Often heard

    ISTH-mus

    the th is not sounded: ISS-muhs

Meaning

What “isthmus” means

  1. noun

    a relatively narrow strip of land (with water on both sides) connecting two larger land areas

  2. noun

    a cord-like tissue connecting two larger parts of an anatomical structure

Say it in a sentence

A narrow isthmus joins the peninsula to the mainland.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

4 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

isthmus”, answered

How do you pronounce “isthmus”?

“isthmus” is pronounced /ˈɪsməs/ (ISS-muhs) — 2 syllables, stressed on “ist”. Build it as IST-hmus, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “isthmus” have?

2: ist · hmus. The beat lands on the first, “ist”.

What does “isthmus” mean?

As a noun: a relatively narrow strip of land (with water on both sides) connecting two larger land areas For example: “A narrow isthmus joins the peninsula to the mainland.” It carries 1 other sense as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “isthmus”?

Stress the first syllable: IST-hmus. “ist” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “isthmus” 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.