Pronunciation

How to pronounce “psychiatry

“psychiatry” is pronounced /saɪˈkaɪətɹi/ (sy-KY-uh-tree) in American English and /saɪkaɪətɹi/ in British English, and /sɪˈkaɪətɹi/ is also accepted — 4 syllables, stressed on “kaɪ”.
The sound

Say “psychiatry” in 4 beats

Say it like this

psychiatry

/saɪˈkaɪətɹi/

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

4 beats
  1. saɪsaɪ
  2. kaɪkaɪstress
  3. əə
  4. tɹitɹi
IPA (American)
/saɪˈkaɪətɹi/
IPA (British)
/saɪkaɪətɹi/
Also accepted
/sɪˈkaɪətɹi/
Respelling
sy-KY-uh-tree
Syllables
4 — saɪ-KAꞮ-ə-tɹi
Stress
Stress the second syllable: saɪ-KAꞮ-ə-tɹi. “kaɪ” 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

/saɪˈkaɪətɹi/

British

/saɪkaɪətɹi/

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

Meaning

What “psychiatry” means

  1. noun

    the branch of medicine dealing with the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders

Say it in a sentence

He moved into psychiatry after two years in general practice.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

7 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

psychiatry”, answered

How do you pronounce “psychiatry”?

“psychiatry” is pronounced /saɪˈkaɪətɹi/ (sy-KY-uh-tree) in American English and /saɪkaɪətɹi/ in British English, and /sɪˈkaɪətɹi/ is also accepted — 4 syllables, stressed on “kaɪ”. Build it as saɪ-KAꞮ-ə-tɹi, then run the second syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “psychiatry” have?

4: saɪ · kaɪ · ə · tɹi. The beat lands on the second, “kaɪ”.

Is “psychiatry” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /saɪˈkaɪətɹi/ (sy-KY-uh-tree); British English says /saɪkaɪətɹi/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “psychiatry” mean?

As a noun: the branch of medicine dealing with the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders For example: “He moved into psychiatry after two years in general practice.”

Where is the stress in “psychiatry”?

Stress the second syllable: saɪ-KAꞮ-ə-tɹi. “kaɪ” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “psychiatry” and see every sound

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