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Pronunciation

How to pronounce “paradox”

“paradox” is pronounced /ˈpɛɹəˌdɑks/ (PE-ruh-dahks) in American English and /paɹədɒks/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “par”.
The sound

Say “paradox” in 3 beats

Say it like this

paradox

/ˈpɛɹəˌdɑks/

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

3 beats
  1. parpɛstress
  2. adɹə
  3. oxdɑks
IPA (American)
/ˈpɛɹəˌdɑks/
IPA (British)
/paɹədɒks/
Respelling
PE-ruh-dahks
Syllables
3 — PAR-ad-ox
Stress
Stress the first syllable: PAR-ad-ox. “par” 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

/ˈpɛɹəˌdɑks/

British

/paɹədɒks/

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

Meaning

What “paradox” means

  1. noun

    (logic) a statement that contradicts itself

    “`I always lie' is a paradox because if it is true it must be false”

Say it in a sentence

“It is a paradox that the quietest room feels loudest.”
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

8 sounds, in the order you say them
ppɛshort eɹrəschwaddɑahkkss

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

Questions

“paradox”, answered

How do you pronounce “paradox”?

“paradox” is pronounced /ˈpɛɹəˌdɑks/ (PE-ruh-dahks) in American English and /paɹədɒks/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “par”. Build it as PAR-ad-ox, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “paradox” have?

3: par · ad · ox. The beat lands on the first, “par”.

Is “paradox” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈpɛɹəˌdɑks/ (PE-ruh-dahks); British English says /paɹədɒks/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “paradox” mean?

As a noun: (logic) a statement that contradicts itself For example: “`I always lie' is a paradox because if it is true it must be false”

Where is the stress in “paradox”?

Stress the first syllable: PAR-ad-ox. “par” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

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