How to pronounce “rhetoric”
Say “rhetoric” in 3 beats
rhetoric
/ˈɹɛtɚɪk/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /ɹɛtəɹɪk/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- rhetɹɛstress
- ortɚ
- icɪk
- IPA (American)
- /ˈɹɛtɚɪk/
- IPA (British)
- /ɹɛtəɹɪk/
- Respelling
- RE-tuh-ik
- Syllables
- 3 — RHET-or-ic
- Stress
- Stress the first syllable: RHET-or-ic. “rhet” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
- Part of speech
- noun
- Difficulty
- Pro — the sounds are ordinary, the rhythm is where it slips
American and British are not the same here
/ˈɹɛtɚɪk/
/ɹɛtəɹɪk/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
What “rhetoric” means
- noun
using language effectively to please or persuade
- noun
high-flown style; excessive use of verbal ornamentation
“the grandiosity of his prose”
- noun
loud and confused and empty talk
“mere rhetoric”
Say it in a sentence
“His rhetoric is fine, but the figures do not add up.”“rhetoric”, answered
How do you pronounce “rhetoric”?
“rhetoric” is pronounced /ˈɹɛtɚɪk/ (RE-tuh-ik) in American English and /ɹɛtəɹɪk/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “rhet”. Build it as RHET-or-ic, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.
How many syllables does “rhetoric” have?
3: rhet · or · ic. The beat lands on the first, “rhet”.
Is “rhetoric” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /ˈɹɛtɚɪk/ (RE-tuh-ik); British English says /ɹɛtəɹɪk/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “rhetoric” mean?
As a noun: using language effectively to please or persuade For example: “His rhetoric is fine, but the figures do not add up.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.
Where is the stress in “rhetoric”?
Stress the first syllable: RHET-or-ic. “rhet” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Now say “rhetoric” 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.