Pronunciation

How to pronounce “rarefied

“rarefied” is pronounced /ˈɹɛɹəfaɪd/ (RAIR-uh-fyde) in American English and /ˈɹeəɹɪfaɪd/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “rar”.
The sound

Say “rarefied” in 3 beats

Say it like this

rarefied

/ˈɹɛɹəfaɪd/

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

3 beats
  1. rarɹɛstress
  2. efɹə
  3. iedfaɪd
IPA (American)
/ˈɹɛɹəfaɪd/
IPA (British)
/ˈɹeəɹɪfaɪd/
Respelling
RAIR-uh-fyde
Syllables
3 — RAR-ef-ied
Stress
Stress the first syllable: RAR-ef-ied. “rar” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Part of speech
verb, adjective
Difficulty
Legend — spelling and sound part company here
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˈɹɛɹəfaɪd/

British

/ˈɹeəɹɪfaɪd/

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

Watch out

Where “rarefied” goes wrong

  • Often heard

    RAR-ee-fied

    the first vowel is the one in care, and the e is a quick schwa

Meaning

What “rarefied” means

  1. verb

    lessen the density or solidity of

    The bones are rarefied

  2. verb

    make more subtle or refined

  3. verb

    weaken the consistency of (a chemical substance)

Say it in a sentence

The committee moved in a rather rarefied world of its own.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

6 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

rarefied”, answered

How do you pronounce “rarefied”?

“rarefied” is pronounced /ˈɹɛɹəfaɪd/ (RAIR-uh-fyde) in American English and /ˈɹeəɹɪfaɪd/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “rar”. Build it as RAR-ef-ied, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “rarefied” have?

3: rar · ef · ied. The beat lands on the first, “rar”.

Is “rarefied” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈɹɛɹəfaɪd/ (RAIR-uh-fyde); British English says /ˈɹeəɹɪfaɪd/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “rarefied” mean?

As a verb: lessen the density or solidity of For example: “The bones are rarefied” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “rarefied”?

Stress the first syllable: RAR-ef-ied. “rar” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “rarefied” and see every sound

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