How to pronounce “refractory”
Say “refractory” in 4 beats
refractory
/ɹəˈfɹæktɚi/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /ɹɪfɹaktəɹi/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- refɹə
- racfɹækstress
- tortɚ
- yi
- IPA (American)
- /ɹəˈfɹæktɚi/
- IPA (British)
- /ɹɪfɹaktəɹi/
- Respelling
- ruh-FRAK-tuh-ee
- Syllables
- 4 — ref-RAC-tor-y
- Stress
- Stress the second syllable: ref-RAC-tor-y. “rac” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
- Part of speech
- noun, adjective
- Difficulty
- Legend — spelling and sound part company here
American and British are not the same here
/ɹəˈfɹæktɚi/
/ɹɪfɹaktəɹi/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
What “refractory” means
- noun
lining consisting of material with a high melting point; used to line the inside walls of a furnace
- adjective
not responding to treatment
“a stubborn infection”
- adjective
temporarily unresponsive or not fully responsive to nervous or sexual stimuli
“the refractory period of a muscle fiber”
Say it in a sentence
“The furnace lining is a refractory that lasts for years.”“refractory”, answered
How do you pronounce “refractory”?
“refractory” is pronounced /ɹəˈfɹæktɚi/ (ruh-FRAK-tuh-ee) in American English and /ɹɪfɹaktəɹi/ in British English — 4 syllables, stressed on “rac”. Build it as ref-RAC-tor-y, then run the second syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.
How many syllables does “refractory” have?
4: ref · rac · tor · y. The beat lands on the second, “rac”.
Is “refractory” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /ɹəˈfɹæktɚi/ (ruh-FRAK-tuh-ee); British English says /ɹɪfɹaktəɹi/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “refractory” mean?
As a noun: lining consisting of material with a high melting point; used to line the inside walls of a furnace For example: “The furnace lining is a refractory that lasts for years.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.
Where is the stress in “refractory”?
Stress the second syllable: ref-RAC-tor-y. “rac” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Now say “refractory” and see every sound
Record it once and sayit lines your audio up against the target sound by sound — what landed, what slipped, and what it sounded like instead.