How to pronounce “literacy”
Say “literacy” in 4 beats
literacy
/ˈlɪtɚəsi/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /lɪtəɹəsi/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- litlɪstress
- ertɚ
- acə
- ysi
- IPA (American)
- /ˈlɪtɚəsi/
- IPA (British)
- /lɪtəɹəsi/
- Respelling
- LI-tuh-uh-see
- Syllables
- 4 — LIT-er-ac-y
- Stress
- Stress the first syllable: LIT-er-ac-y. “lit” 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
American and British are not the same here
/ˈlɪtɚəsi/
/lɪtəɹəsi/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
What “literacy” means
- noun
the ability to read and write
Say it in a sentence
“Adult literacy classes are held twice a week at the library.”“literacy”, answered
How do you pronounce “literacy”?
“literacy” is pronounced /ˈlɪtɚəsi/ (LI-tuh-uh-see) in American English and /lɪtəɹəsi/ in British English — 4 syllables, stressed on “lit”. Build it as LIT-er-ac-y, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.
How many syllables does “literacy” have?
4: lit · er · ac · y. The beat lands on the first, “lit”.
Is “literacy” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /ˈlɪtɚəsi/ (LI-tuh-uh-see); British English says /lɪtəɹəsi/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “literacy” mean?
As a noun: the ability to read and write For example: “Adult literacy classes are held twice a week at the library.”
Where is the stress in “literacy”?
Stress the first syllable: LIT-er-ac-y. “lit” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Now say “literacy” 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.