How to pronounce “positive”
Say “positive” in 3 beats
positive
/ˈpɑzətɪv/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /pɒzɪtɪv/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- pɑpɑstress
- zəzə
- tɪvtɪv
- IPA (American)
- /ˈpɑzətɪv/
- IPA (British)
- /pɒzɪtɪv/
- Respelling
- PAH-zuh-tiv
- Syllables
- 3 — PⱭ-zə-tɪv
- Stress
- Stress the first syllable: PⱭ-zə-tɪv. “pɑ” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
- Part of speech
- noun, adjective
- Difficulty
- Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
American and British are not the same here
/ˈpɑzətɪv/
/pɒzɪtɪv/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
What “positive” means
- noun
the primary form of an adjective or adverb; denotes a quality without qualification, comparison, or relation to increase or diminution
- noun
a film showing a photographic image whose tones correspond to those of the original subject
- adjective
characterized by or displaying affirmation or acceptance or certainty etc.
“a positive attitude”
Say it in a sentence
“'Tall' is the positive, and 'tallest' the superlative.”“positive”, answered
How do you pronounce “positive”?
“positive” is pronounced /ˈpɑzətɪv/ (PAH-zuh-tiv) in American English and /pɒzɪtɪv/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “pɑ”. Build it as PⱭ-zə-tɪv, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.
How many syllables does “positive” have?
3: pɑ · zə · tɪv. The beat lands on the first, “pɑ”.
Is “positive” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /ˈpɑzətɪv/ (PAH-zuh-tiv); British English says /pɒzɪtɪv/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “positive” mean?
As a noun: the primary form of an adjective or adverb; denotes a quality without qualification, comparison, or relation to increase or diminution For example: “'Tall' is the positive, and 'tallest' the superlative.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.
Where is the stress in “positive”?
Stress the first syllable: PⱭ-zə-tɪv. “pɑ” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Now say “positive” 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.