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Pronunciation

How to pronounce “magnanimous”

“magnanimous” is pronounced /mæɡˈnænəməs/ (mag-NA-nuh-muhs) in American English and /maɡnanɪməs/ in British English — 4 syllables, stressed on “nan”.
The sound

Say “magnanimous” in 4 beats

Say it like this

magnanimous

/mæɡˈnænəməs/

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

4 beats
  1. magmæɡ
  2. nannæstress
  3. imnə
  4. ousməs
IPA (American)
/mæɡˈnænəməs/
IPA (British)
/maɡnanɪməs/
Respelling
mag-NA-nuh-muhs
Syllables
4 — mag-NAN-im-ous
Stress
Stress the second syllable: mag-NAN-im-ous. “nan” 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

/mæɡˈnænəməs/

British

/maɡnanɪməs/

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

Meaning

What “magnanimous” means

  1. adjective

    noble and generous in spirit

    “a greathearted general”

  2. adjective

    generous and understanding and tolerant

    “a heart big enough to hold no grudges”

Say it in a sentence

“He was magnanimous about losing the final on penalties.”
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

6 sounds, in the order you say them
mm×2æshort a×2ɡgnn×2əschwa×2ss

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

Questions

“magnanimous”, answered

How do you pronounce “magnanimous”?

“magnanimous” is pronounced /mæɡˈnænəməs/ (mag-NA-nuh-muhs) in American English and /maɡnanɪməs/ in British English — 4 syllables, stressed on “nan”. Build it as mag-NAN-im-ous, then run the second syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “magnanimous” have?

4: mag · nan · im · ous. The beat lands on the second, “nan”.

Is “magnanimous” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /mæɡˈnænəməs/ (mag-NA-nuh-muhs); British English says /maɡnanɪməs/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “magnanimous” mean?

As an adjective: noble and generous in spirit For example: “a greathearted general” It carries 1 other sense as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “magnanimous”?

Stress the second syllable: mag-NAN-im-ous. “nan” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

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