Pronunciation

How to pronounce “lethargic

“lethargic” is pronounced /ləˈθɑɹdʒɪk/ (luh-THAHR-jik) in American English and /lɛθɑːdʒɪk/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “har”.
The sound

Say “lethargic” in 3 beats

Say it like this

lethargic

/ləˈθɑɹdʒɪk/

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

3 beats
  1. let
  2. harθɑɹstress
  3. gicdʒɪk
IPA (American)
/ləˈθɑɹdʒɪk/
IPA (British)
/lɛθɑːdʒɪk/
Respelling
luh-THAHR-jik
Syllables
3 — let-HAR-gic
Stress
Stress the second syllable: let-HAR-gic. “har” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Part of speech
adjective
Difficulty
Legend — spelling and sound part company here
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ləˈθɑɹdʒɪk/

British

/lɛθɑːdʒɪk/

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

Meaning

What “lethargic” means

  1. adjective

    deficient in alertness or activity

    bullfrogs became lethargic with the first cold nights

Say it in a sentence

The heat left everyone lethargic by the middle of the afternoon.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

8 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

lethargic”, answered

How do you pronounce “lethargic”?

“lethargic” is pronounced /ləˈθɑɹdʒɪk/ (luh-THAHR-jik) in American English and /lɛθɑːdʒɪk/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “har”. Build it as let-HAR-gic, then run the second syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “lethargic” have?

3: let · har · gic. The beat lands on the second, “har”.

Is “lethargic” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ləˈθɑɹdʒɪk/ (luh-THAHR-jik); British English says /lɛθɑːdʒɪk/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “lethargic” mean?

As an adjective: deficient in alertness or activity For example: “bullfrogs became lethargic with the first cold nights”

Where is the stress in “lethargic”?

Stress the second syllable: let-HAR-gic. “har” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “lethargic” 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.