How to pronounce “pessimistic”
Say “pessimistic” in 4 beats
pessimistic
/ˌpɛsəˈmɪstɪk/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /pɛsɪmɪstɪk/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- pespɛ
- simsə
- ismɪstress
- ticstɪk
- IPA (American)
- /ˌpɛsəˈmɪstɪk/
- IPA (British)
- /pɛsɪmɪstɪk/
- Respelling
- pe-suh-MI-stik
- Syllables
- 4 — pes-sim-IS-tic
- Stress
- Stress the third syllable: pes-sim-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
American and British are not the same here
/ˌpɛsəˈmɪstɪk/
/pɛsɪmɪstɪk/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
What “pessimistic” means
- adjective
expecting the worst possible outcome
Say it in a sentence
“He is pessimistic about the weather but usually wrong.”“pessimistic”, answered
How do you pronounce “pessimistic”?
“pessimistic” is pronounced /ˌpɛsəˈmɪstɪk/ (pe-suh-MI-stik) in American English and /pɛsɪmɪstɪk/ in British English — 4 syllables, stressed on “is”. Build it as pes-sim-IS-tic, then run the third syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.
How many syllables does “pessimistic” have?
4: pes · sim · is · tic. The beat lands on the third, “is”.
Is “pessimistic” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /ˌpɛsəˈmɪstɪk/ (pe-suh-MI-stik); British English says /pɛsɪmɪstɪk/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “pessimistic” mean?
As an adjective: expecting the worst possible outcome For example: “He is pessimistic about the weather but usually wrong.”
Where is the stress in “pessimistic”?
Stress the third syllable: pes-sim-IS-tic. “is” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Now say “pessimistic” 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.