Pronunciation

How to pronounce “respiratory

“respiratory” is pronounced /ˈɹɛspəɹəˌtɔɹi/ (RESS-puh-ruh-tor-ee) in American English and /ɹɪˈspɪɹətəɹi/ in British English — 5 syllables, stressed on “res”.
The sound

Say “respiratory” in 5 beats

Say it like this

respiratory

/ˈɹɛspəɹəˌtɔɹi/

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

5 beats
  1. resɹɛstress
  2. pirspə
  3. atɹə
  4. or
  5. yɹi
IPA (American)
/ˈɹɛspəɹəˌtɔɹi/
IPA (British)
/ɹɪˈspɪɹətəɹi/
Respelling
RESS-puh-ruh-tor-ee
Syllables
5 — RES-pir-at-or-y
Stress
Stress the first syllable: RES-pir-at-or-y. “res” 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
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˈɹɛspəɹəˌtɔɹi/

Stress on the first syllable: RESS-puh-ruh-tor-ee.

British

/rɪˈspɪrətəri/

British English often stresses the second syllable: rih-SPIRR-uh-tree.

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

Watch out

Where “respiratory” goes wrong

  • Often heard

    res-PIRE-uh-tory

    the middle vowel is short: it does not contain the word respire

Meaning

What “respiratory” means

  1. adjective

    pertaining to respiration

    respiratory assistance

Say it in a sentence

Damp housing is linked to respiratory problems in children.
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

respiratory”, answered

How do you pronounce “respiratory”?

“respiratory” is pronounced /ˈɹɛspəɹəˌtɔɹi/ (RESS-puh-ruh-tor-ee) in American English and /ɹɪˈspɪɹətəɹi/ in British English — 5 syllables, stressed on “res”. Build it as RES-pir-at-or-y, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “respiratory” have?

5: res · pir · at · or · y. The beat lands on the first, “res”.

Is “respiratory” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈɹɛspəɹəˌtɔɹi/ (RESS-puh-ruh-tor-ee); British English says /ɹɪˈspɪɹətəɹi/. British English often stresses the second syllable: rih-SPIRR-uh-tree. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “respiratory” mean?

As an adjective: pertaining to respiration For example: “respiratory assistance”

Where is the stress in “respiratory”?

Stress the first syllable: RES-pir-at-or-y. “res” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “respiratory” 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.