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Pronunciation

How to pronounce “symptom”

“symptom” is pronounced /ˈsɪmptəm/ (SIMP-tuhm) in American English and /sɪmptəm/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “symp”.
The sound

Say “symptom” in 2 beats

Say it like this

symptom

/ˈsɪmptəm/

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

2 beats
  1. sympsɪmpstress
  2. tomtəm
IPA (American)
/ˈsɪmptəm/
IPA (British)
/sɪmptəm/
Respelling
SIMP-tuhm
Syllables
2 — SYMP-tom
Stress
Stress the first syllable: SYMP-tom. “symp” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Part of speech
noun
Difficulty
Pro — the sounds are ordinary, the rhythm is where it slips
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˈsɪmptəm/

British

/sɪmptəm/

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

Meaning

What “symptom” means

  1. noun

    (medicine) any sensation or change in bodily function that is experienced by a patient and is associated with a particular disease

  2. noun

    anything that accompanies X and is regarded as an indication of X's existence

Say it in a sentence

“A dry cough was the only symptom he ever noticed.”
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

6 sounds, in the order you say them
ssɪshort imm×2ppttəschwa

Each sound has its own page: where the tongue goes, what it is usually confused with, and words to drill it on.

Questions

“symptom”, answered

How do you pronounce “symptom”?

“symptom” is pronounced /ˈsɪmptəm/ (SIMP-tuhm) in American English and /sɪmptəm/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “symp”. Build it as SYMP-tom, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “symptom” have?

2: symp · tom. The beat lands on the first, “symp”.

Is “symptom” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈsɪmptəm/ (SIMP-tuhm); British English says /sɪmptəm/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “symptom” mean?

As a noun: (medicine) any sensation or change in bodily function that is experienced by a patient and is associated with a particular disease For example: “A dry cough was the only symptom he ever noticed.” It carries 1 other sense as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “symptom”?

Stress the first syllable: SYMP-tom. “symp” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “symptom” and see every sound

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