Pronunciation

How to pronounce “quintessential

“quintessential” is pronounced /ˌkwɪntɪˈsɛnʃəl/ (kwin-tuh-SEN-shuhl) — 4 syllables, stressed on “sen”.
The sound

Say “quintessential” in 4 beats

Say it like this

quintessential

/ˌkwɪntɪˈsɛnʃəl/

The voice you hear here is American; a British voice is available in the app's settings.

4 beats
  1. quinkwɪn
  2. tes
  3. sensɛnstress
  4. tialʃəl
IPA (American)
/ˌkwɪntɪˈsɛnʃəl/
IPA (British)
/ˌkwɪntɪˈsɛnʃəl/
Respelling
kwin-tuh-SEN-shuhl
Syllables
4 — quin-tes-SEN-tial
Stress
Stress the third syllable: quin-tes-SEN-tial. “sen” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Part of speech
adjective
Difficulty
Pro — the sounds are ordinary, the rhythm is where it slips
Watch out

Where “quintessential” goes wrong

  • Often heard

    kwin-TESS-en-shul

    the stress is on SEN, the third syllable

Meaning

What “quintessential” means

  1. adjective

    representing the perfect example of a class or quality

Say it in a sentence

That little pub is the quintessential English village inn.
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

quintessential”, answered

How do you pronounce “quintessential”?

“quintessential” is pronounced /ˌkwɪntɪˈsɛnʃəl/ (kwin-tuh-SEN-shuhl) — 4 syllables, stressed on “sen”. Build it as quin-tes-SEN-tial, then run the third syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “quintessential” have?

4: quin · tes · sen · tial. The beat lands on the third, “sen”.

What does “quintessential” mean?

As an adjective: representing the perfect example of a class or quality For example: “That little pub is the quintessential English village inn.”

Where is the stress in “quintessential”?

Stress the third syllable: quin-tes-SEN-tial. “sen” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “quintessential” and see every sound

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