sayitsayit
Pronunciation

How to pronounce “optimistic”

“optimistic” is pronounced /ˌɑptəˈmɪstɪk/ (ahp-tuh-MI-stik) in American English and /ɒptɪmɪstɪk/ in British English — 4 syllables, stressed on “is”.
The sound

Say “optimistic” in 4 beats

Say it like this

optimistic

/ˌɑptəˈmɪstɪk/

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

4 beats
  1. opɑp
  2. timtə
  3. ismɪstress
  4. ticstɪk
IPA (American)
/ˌɑptəˈmɪstɪk/
IPA (British)
/ɒptɪmɪstɪk/
Respelling
ahp-tuh-MI-stik
Syllables
4 — op-tim-IS-tic
Stress
Stress the third syllable: op-tim-IS-tic. “is” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Part of speech
adjective
Difficulty
Pro — the sounds are ordinary, the rhythm is where it slips
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˌɑptəˈmɪstɪk/

British

/ɒptɪmɪstɪk/

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

Meaning

What “optimistic” means

  1. adjective

    expecting the best in this best of all possible worlds

    “in an optimistic mood”

  2. adjective

    expecting the best

    “an affirmative outlook”

Say it in a sentence

“She stayed optimistic even when the funding fell through.”
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

8 sounds, in the order you say them
ɑahpptt×2əschwammɪshort i×2sskk

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

Questions

“optimistic”, answered

How do you pronounce “optimistic”?

“optimistic” is pronounced /ˌɑptəˈmɪstɪk/ (ahp-tuh-MI-stik) in American English and /ɒptɪmɪstɪk/ in British English — 4 syllables, stressed on “is”. Build it as op-tim-IS-tic, then run the third syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “optimistic” have?

4: op · tim · is · tic. The beat lands on the third, “is”.

Is “optimistic” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˌɑptəˈmɪstɪk/ (ahp-tuh-MI-stik); British English says /ɒptɪmɪstɪk/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “optimistic” mean?

As an adjective: expecting the best in this best of all possible worlds For example: “in an optimistic mood” It carries 1 other sense as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “optimistic”?

Stress the third syllable: op-tim-IS-tic. “is” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “optimistic” 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.

Practise this word freeMore words with O