Pronunciation

How to pronounce “medium

“medium” is pronounced /ˈmidiəm/ (MEE-dee-uhm) in American English and /miːdiəm/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “mi”.
The sound

Say “medium” in 3 beats

Say it like this

medium

/ˈmidiəm/

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

3 beats
  1. mimistress
  2. didi
  3. əməm
IPA (American)
/ˈmidiəm/
IPA (British)
/miːdiəm/
Respelling
MEE-dee-uhm
Syllables
3 — MI-di-əm
Stress
Stress the first syllable: MI-di-əm. “mi” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Part of speech
noun, adjective
Difficulty
Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˈmidiəm/

British

/miːdiəm/

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

Meaning

What “medium” means

  1. noun

    a means or instrumentality for storing or communicating information

  2. noun

    the surrounding environment

    fish require an aqueous medium

  3. noun

    an intervening substance through which signals can travel as a means for communication

Say it in a sentence

Watercolour is the medium she returns to every winter.
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

medium”, answered

How do you pronounce “medium”?

“medium” is pronounced /ˈmidiəm/ (MEE-dee-uhm) in American English and /miːdiəm/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “mi”. Build it as MI-di-əm, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “medium” have?

3: mi · di · əm. The beat lands on the first, “mi”.

Is “medium” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈmidiəm/ (MEE-dee-uhm); British English says /miːdiəm/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “medium” mean?

As a noun: a means or instrumentality for storing or communicating information For example: “Watercolour is the medium she returns to every winter.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “medium”?

Stress the first syllable: MI-di-əm. “mi” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “medium” 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.