Pronunciation

How to pronounce “mechanism

“mechanism” is pronounced /ˈmɛkəˌnɪzəm/ (ME-kuh-ni-zuhm) in American English and /mɛkənɪzəm/ in British English — 4 syllables, stressed on “mɛ”.
The sound

Say “mechanism” in 4 beats

Say it like this

mechanism

/ˈmɛkəˌnɪzəm/

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

4 beats
  1. stress
  2. zəmzəm
IPA (American)
/ˈmɛkəˌnɪzəm/
IPA (British)
/mɛkənɪzəm/
Respelling
ME-kuh-ni-zuhm
Syllables
4 — MƐ-kə-nɪ-zəm
Stress
Stress the first syllable: MƐ-kə-nɪ-zəm. “mɛ” 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
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˈmɛkəˌnɪzəm/

British

/mɛkənɪzəm/

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

Meaning

What “mechanism” means

  1. noun

    the atomic process that occurs during a chemical reaction

    he determined unique mechanisms for the photochemical reactions

  2. noun

    the technical aspects of doing something

    a mechanism of social control

  3. noun

    a natural object resembling a machine in structure or function

    the mechanism of the ear

Say it in a sentence

The mechanism inside the clock needed oil, not repair.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

7 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

mechanism”, answered

How do you pronounce “mechanism”?

“mechanism” is pronounced /ˈmɛkəˌnɪzəm/ (ME-kuh-ni-zuhm) in American English and /mɛkənɪzəm/ in British English — 4 syllables, stressed on “mɛ”. Build it as MƐ-kə-nɪ-zəm, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “mechanism” have?

4: mɛ · kə · nɪ · zəm. The beat lands on the first, “mɛ”.

Is “mechanism” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈmɛkəˌnɪzəm/ (ME-kuh-ni-zuhm); British English says /mɛkənɪzəm/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “mechanism” mean?

As a noun: the atomic process that occurs during a chemical reaction For example: “he determined unique mechanisms for the photochemical reactions” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “mechanism”?

Stress the first syllable: MƐ-kə-nɪ-zəm. “mɛ” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “mechanism” and see every sound

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