Pronunciation

How to pronounce “quiescent

“quiescent” is pronounced /kwaɪˈɛsənt/ (kwy-E-suhnt) in American English and /kwɪɛsənt/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “ɛ”.
The sound

Say “quiescent” in 3 beats

Say it like this

quiescent

/kwaɪˈɛsənt/

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

3 beats
  1. kwaɪkwaɪ
  2. ɛɛstress
  3. səntsənt
IPA (American)
/kwaɪˈɛsənt/
IPA (British)
/kwɪɛsənt/
Respelling
kwy-E-suhnt
Syllables
3 — kwaɪ-Ɛ-sənt
Stress
Stress the second syllable: kwaɪ-Ɛ-sənt. “ɛ” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Part of speech
adjective
Difficulty
Legend — spelling and sound part company here
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/kwaɪˈɛsənt/

British

/kwɪɛsənt/

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

Meaning

What “quiescent” means

  1. adjective

    not active or activated

    the quiescent level of centimeter wave-length solar radiation

  2. adjective

    marked by a state of tranquil repose

    the quiescent melancholy of the town

  3. adjective

    being quiet or still or inactive

Say it in a sentence

The volcano has been quiescent for over a century.
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

quiescent”, answered

How do you pronounce “quiescent”?

“quiescent” is pronounced /kwaɪˈɛsənt/ (kwy-E-suhnt) in American English and /kwɪɛsənt/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “ɛ”. Build it as kwaɪ-Ɛ-sənt, then run the second syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “quiescent” have?

3: kwaɪ · ɛ · sənt. The beat lands on the second, “ɛ”.

Is “quiescent” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /kwaɪˈɛsənt/ (kwy-E-suhnt); British English says /kwɪɛsənt/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “quiescent” mean?

As an adjective: not active or activated For example: “the quiescent level of centimeter wave-length solar radiation” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “quiescent”?

Stress the second syllable: kwaɪ-Ɛ-sənt. “ɛ” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “quiescent” and see every sound

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