Pronunciation

How to pronounce “productivity

“productivity” is pronounced /ˌpɹoʊdəkˈtɪvəti/ (proh-duhk-TI-vuh-tee) in American English and /pɹɒdəktɪvɪti/ in British English, and /ˌpɹoʊdəkˈtɪvɪti/ is also accepted — 5 syllables, stressed on “tiv”.
The sound

Say “productivity” in 5 beats

Say it like this

productivity

/ˌpɹoʊdəkˈtɪvəti/

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

5 beats
  1. prodpɹoʊ
  2. ucdək
  3. tivstress
  4. it
  5. yti
IPA (American)
/ˌpɹoʊdəkˈtɪvəti/
IPA (British)
/pɹɒdəktɪvɪti/
Also accepted
/ˌpɹoʊdəkˈtɪvɪti/
Respelling
proh-duhk-TI-vuh-tee
Syllables
5 — prod-uc-TIV-it-y
Stress
Stress the third syllable: prod-uc-TIV-it-y. “tiv” 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

/ˌpɹoʊdəkˈtɪvəti/

British

/pɹɒdəktɪvɪti/

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

Meaning

What “productivity” means

  1. noun

    the quality of being productive or having the power to produce

  2. noun

    (economics) the ratio of the quantity and quality of units produced to the labor per unit of time

Say it in a sentence

Productivity rose sharply once the workshop was properly heated.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

10 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

productivity”, answered

How do you pronounce “productivity”?

“productivity” is pronounced /ˌpɹoʊdəkˈtɪvəti/ (proh-duhk-TI-vuh-tee) in American English and /pɹɒdəktɪvɪti/ in British English, and /ˌpɹoʊdəkˈtɪvɪti/ is also accepted — 5 syllables, stressed on “tiv”. Build it as prod-uc-TIV-it-y, then run the third syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “productivity” have?

5: prod · uc · tiv · it · y. The beat lands on the third, “tiv”.

Is “productivity” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˌpɹoʊdəkˈtɪvəti/ (proh-duhk-TI-vuh-tee); British English says /pɹɒdəktɪvɪti/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “productivity” mean?

As a noun: the quality of being productive or having the power to produce For example: “Productivity rose sharply once the workshop was properly heated.” It carries 1 other sense as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “productivity”?

Stress the third syllable: prod-uc-TIV-it-y. “tiv” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “productivity” 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.