How to pronounce “propensity”
Say “propensity” in 4 beats
propensity
/pɹəˈpɛnsɪti/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /pɹəpɛnsɪti/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- proppɹə
- enpɛnstress
- sitsɪ
- yti
- IPA (American)
- /pɹəˈpɛnsɪti/
- IPA (British)
- /pɹəpɛnsɪti/
- Respelling
- pruh-PEN-si-tee
- Syllables
- 4 — prop-EN-sit-y
- Stress
- Stress the second syllable: prop-EN-sit-y. “en” 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
American and British are not the same here
/pɹəˈpɛnsɪti/
/pɹəpɛnsɪti/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
What “propensity” means
- noun
an inclination to do something
“he felt leanings toward frivolity”
- noun
a natural inclination
“he has a proclivity for exaggeration”
- noun
a disposition to behave in a certain way
“the aptness of iron to rust”
Say it in a sentence
“He has a propensity for losing gloves every winter.”“propensity”, answered
How do you pronounce “propensity”?
“propensity” is pronounced /pɹəˈpɛnsɪti/ (pruh-PEN-si-tee) in American English and /pɹəpɛnsɪti/ in British English — 4 syllables, stressed on “en”. Build it as prop-EN-sit-y, then run the second syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.
How many syllables does “propensity” have?
4: prop · en · sit · y. The beat lands on the second, “en”.
Is “propensity” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /pɹəˈpɛnsɪti/ (pruh-PEN-si-tee); British English says /pɹəpɛnsɪti/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “propensity” mean?
As a noun: an inclination to do something For example: “he felt leanings toward frivolity” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.
Where is the stress in “propensity”?
Stress the second syllable: prop-EN-sit-y. “en” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Now say “propensity” 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.