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Pronunciation

How to pronounce “oligopoly”

“oligopoly” is pronounced /ˌɑlɪˈɡɑpəli/ (ah-li-GAH-puh-lee) in American English and /ɒlɪɡɒpəli/ in British English — 5 syllables, stressed on “op”.
The sound

Say “oligopoly” in 5 beats

Say it like this

oligopoly

/ˌɑlɪˈɡɑpəli/

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

5 beats
  1. olɑ
  2. iglɪ
  3. opɡɑstress
  4. olpə
  5. yli
IPA (American)
/ˌɑlɪˈɡɑpəli/
IPA (British)
/ɒlɪɡɒpəli/
Respelling
ah-li-GAH-puh-lee
Syllables
5 — ol-ig-OP-ol-y
Stress
Stress the third syllable: ol-ig-OP-ol-y. “op” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Part of speech
noun
Difficulty
Legend — spelling and sound part company here
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˌɑlɪˈɡɑpəli/

British

/ɒlɪɡɒpəli/

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

Meaning

What “oligopoly” means

  1. noun

    (economics) a market in which control over the supply of a commodity is in the hands of a small number of producers and each one can influence prices and affect competitors

Say it in a sentence

“Three firms form a comfortable oligopoly in that market.”
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

7 sounds, in the order you say them
ɑah×2ll×2ɪshort iɡgppəschwailong e

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

Questions

“oligopoly”, answered

How do you pronounce “oligopoly”?

“oligopoly” is pronounced /ˌɑlɪˈɡɑpəli/ (ah-li-GAH-puh-lee) in American English and /ɒlɪɡɒpəli/ in British English — 5 syllables, stressed on “op”. Build it as ol-ig-OP-ol-y, then run the third syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “oligopoly” have?

5: ol · ig · op · ol · y. The beat lands on the third, “op”.

Is “oligopoly” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˌɑlɪˈɡɑpəli/ (ah-li-GAH-puh-lee); British English says /ɒlɪɡɒpəli/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “oligopoly” mean?

As a noun: (economics) a market in which control over the supply of a commodity is in the hands of a small number of producers and each one can influence prices and affect competitors For example: “Three firms form a comfortable oligopoly in that market.”

Where is the stress in “oligopoly”?

Stress the third syllable: ol-ig-OP-ol-y. “op” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

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