Pronunciation

How to pronounce “sedentary

“sedentary” is pronounced /ˈsɛdənˌtɛɹi/ (SE-duhn-te-ree) in American English and /sɛdəntəɹi/ in British English — 4 syllables, stressed on “sed”.
The sound

Say “sedentary” in 4 beats

Say it like this

sedentary

/ˈsɛdənˌtɛɹi/

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

4 beats
  1. sedstress
  2. endən
  3. tar
  4. yɹi
IPA (American)
/ˈsɛdənˌtɛɹi/
IPA (British)
/sɛdəntəɹi/
Respelling
SE-duhn-te-ree
Syllables
4 — SED-en-tar-y
Stress
Stress the first syllable: SED-en-tar-y. “sed” 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

/ˈsɛdənˌtɛɹi/

British

/sɛdəntəɹi/

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

Meaning

What “sedentary” means

  1. adjective

    requiring sitting or little activity

    forced by illness to lead a sedentary life

Say it in a sentence

A sedentary job makes an evening walk more important.
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

sedentary”, answered

How do you pronounce “sedentary”?

“sedentary” is pronounced /ˈsɛdənˌtɛɹi/ (SE-duhn-te-ree) in American English and /sɛdəntəɹi/ in British English — 4 syllables, stressed on “sed”. Build it as SED-en-tar-y, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “sedentary” have?

4: sed · en · tar · y. The beat lands on the first, “sed”.

Is “sedentary” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈsɛdənˌtɛɹi/ (SE-duhn-te-ree); British English says /sɛdəntəɹi/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “sedentary” mean?

As an adjective: requiring sitting or little activity For example: “forced by illness to lead a sedentary life”

Where is the stress in “sedentary”?

Stress the first syllable: SED-en-tar-y. “sed” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “sedentary” 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.