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Pronunciation

How to pronounce “negative”

“negative” is pronounced /ˈnɛɡətɪv/ (NE-guh-tiv) in American English and /nɛɡətɪv/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “nɛ”.
The sound

Say “negative” in 3 beats

Say it like this

negative

/ˈnɛɡətɪv/

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

3 beats
  1. nɛnɛstress
  2. ɡəɡə
  3. tɪvtɪv
IPA (American)
/ˈnɛɡətɪv/
IPA (British)
/nɛɡətɪv/
Respelling
NE-guh-tiv
Syllables
3 — NƐ-ɡə-tɪv
Stress
Stress the first syllable: NƐ-ɡə-tɪv. “nɛ” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Part of speech
noun, verb, adjective
Difficulty
Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˈnɛɡətɪv/

British

/nɛɡətɪv/

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

Meaning

What “negative” means

  1. noun

    a reply of denial

    “he answered in the negative”

  2. noun

    a piece of photographic film showing an image with light and shade or colors reversed

  3. verb

    vote against; refuse to endorse; refuse to assent

    “The President vetoed the bill”

Say it in a sentence

“The test results came back negative, to everyone's relief.”
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

7 sounds, in the order you say them
nnɛshort eɡgəschwattɪshort ivv

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

Questions

“negative”, answered

How do you pronounce “negative”?

“negative” is pronounced /ˈnɛɡətɪv/ (NE-guh-tiv) in American English and /nɛɡətɪv/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “nɛ”. Build it as NƐ-ɡə-tɪv, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “negative” have?

3: nɛ · ɡə · tɪv. The beat lands on the first, “nɛ”.

Is “negative” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈnɛɡətɪv/ (NE-guh-tiv); British English says /nɛɡətɪv/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “negative” mean?

As a noun: a reply of denial For example: “he answered in the negative” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “negative”?

Stress the first syllable: NƐ-ɡə-tɪv. “nɛ” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “negative” and see every sound

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