How to pronounce “sardonic”
Say “sardonic” in 3 beats
sardonic
/sɑɹˈdɑnɪk/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /sɑːdɒnɪk/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- sarsɑɹ
- dondɑstress
- icnɪk
- IPA (American)
- /sɑɹˈdɑnɪk/
- IPA (British)
- /sɑːdɒnɪk/
- Respelling
- sahr-DAH-nik
- Syllables
- 3 — sar-DON-ic
- Stress
- Stress the second syllable: sar-DON-ic. “don” 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
American and British are not the same here
/sɑɹˈdɑnɪk/
/sɑːdɒnɪk/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
What “sardonic” means
- adjective
disdainfully or ironically humorous; scornful and mocking; - Frank Schoenberner; - Irwin Edman
“his rebellion is the bitter, sardonic laughter of all great satirists”
Say it in a sentence
“Her sardonic smile said more than any complaint would.”“sardonic”, answered
How do you pronounce “sardonic”?
“sardonic” is pronounced /sɑɹˈdɑnɪk/ (sahr-DAH-nik) in American English and /sɑːdɒnɪk/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “don”. Build it as sar-DON-ic, then run the second syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.
How many syllables does “sardonic” have?
3: sar · don · ic. The beat lands on the second, “don”.
Is “sardonic” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /sɑɹˈdɑnɪk/ (sahr-DAH-nik); British English says /sɑːdɒnɪk/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “sardonic” mean?
As an adjective: disdainfully or ironically humorous; scornful and mocking; - Frank Schoenberner; - Irwin Edman For example: “his rebellion is the bitter, sardonic laughter of all great satirists”
Where is the stress in “sardonic”?
Stress the second syllable: sar-DON-ic. “don” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Now say “sardonic” and see every sound
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