Pronunciation

How to pronounce “politics

“politics” is pronounced /ˈpɑləˌtɪks/ (PAH-luh-tiks) in American English and /pɒlətɪks/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “pol”.
The sound

Say “politics” in 3 beats

Say it like this

politics

/ˈpɑləˌtɪks/

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

3 beats
  1. polstress
  2. it
  3. icstɪks
IPA (American)
/ˈpɑləˌtɪks/
IPA (British)
/pɒlətɪks/
Respelling
PAH-luh-tiks
Syllables
3 — POL-it-ics
Stress
Stress the first syllable: POL-it-ics. “pol” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Part of speech
noun
Difficulty
Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˈpɑləˌtɪks/

British

/pɒlətɪks/

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

Meaning

What “politics” means

  1. noun

    social relations involving intrigue to gain authority or power

    office politics is often counterproductive

  2. noun

    the study of government of states and other political units

  3. noun

    the profession devoted to governing and to political affairs

Say it in a sentence

She avoids talking about politics at family dinners.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

8 sounds, in the order you say them

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

Questions

politics”, answered

How do you pronounce “politics”?

“politics” is pronounced /ˈpɑləˌtɪks/ (PAH-luh-tiks) in American English and /pɒlətɪks/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “pol”. Build it as POL-it-ics, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “politics” have?

3: pol · it · ics. The beat lands on the first, “pol”.

Is “politics” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈpɑləˌtɪks/ (PAH-luh-tiks); British English says /pɒlətɪks/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “politics” mean?

As a noun: social relations involving intrigue to gain authority or power For example: “office politics is often counterproductive” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “politics”?

Stress the first syllable: POL-it-ics. “pol” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “politics” 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.