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Pronunciation

How to pronounce “reclusive”

“reclusive” is pronounced /ɹɪˈklusɪv/ (ri-KLOO-siv) in American English and /ɹɪkluːsɪv/ in British English, and /ɹiˈklusɪv/ is also accepted — 3 syllables, stressed on “klu”.
The sound

Say “reclusive” in 3 beats

Say it like this

reclusive

/ɹɪˈklusɪv/

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

3 beats
  1. ɹɪɹɪ
  2. kluklustress
  3. sɪvsɪv
IPA (American)
/ɹɪˈklusɪv/
IPA (British)
/ɹɪkluːsɪv/
Also accepted
/ɹiˈklusɪv/
Respelling
ri-KLOO-siv
Syllables
3 — ɹɪ-KLU-sɪv
Stress
Stress the second syllable: ɹɪ-KLU-sɪv. “klu” 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

/ɹɪˈklusɪv/

British

/ɹɪkluːsɪv/

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

Meaning

What “reclusive” means

  1. adjective

    withdrawn from society; seeking solitude

    “lived an unsocial reclusive life”

  2. adjective

    providing privacy or seclusion

    “the cloistered academic world of books”

Say it in a sentence

“Their reclusive neighbour has not opened the curtains since March.”
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

7 sounds, in the order you say them
ɹrɪshort i×2kkllulong oossvv

Each sound has its own page: where the tongue goes, what it is usually confused with, and words to drill it on.

Questions

“reclusive”, answered

How do you pronounce “reclusive”?

“reclusive” is pronounced /ɹɪˈklusɪv/ (ri-KLOO-siv) in American English and /ɹɪkluːsɪv/ in British English, and /ɹiˈklusɪv/ is also accepted — 3 syllables, stressed on “klu”. Build it as ɹɪ-KLU-sɪv, then run the second syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “reclusive” have?

3: ɹɪ · klu · sɪv. The beat lands on the second, “klu”.

Is “reclusive” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ɹɪˈklusɪv/ (ri-KLOO-siv); British English says /ɹɪkluːsɪv/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “reclusive” mean?

As an adjective: withdrawn from society; seeking solitude For example: “lived an unsocial reclusive life” It carries 1 other sense as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “reclusive”?

Stress the second syllable: ɹɪ-KLU-sɪv. “klu” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

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