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Pronunciation

How to pronounce “tenacious”

“tenacious” is pronounced /təˈneɪʃəs/ (tuh-NAY-shuhs) in American English and /tɛneɪʃəs/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “ac”.
The sound

Say “tenacious” in 3 beats

Say it like this

tenacious

/təˈneɪʃəs/

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

3 beats
  1. tentə
  2. acneɪstress
  3. iousʃəs
IPA (American)
/təˈneɪʃəs/
IPA (British)
/tɛneɪʃəs/
Respelling
tuh-NAY-shuhs
Syllables
3 — ten-AC-ious
Stress
Stress the second syllable: ten-AC-ious. “ac” 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

/təˈneɪʃəs/

British

/tɛneɪʃəs/

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

Meaning

What “tenacious” means

  1. adjective

    good at remembering

    “a retentive mind”

  2. adjective

    stubbornly unyielding; ; ; ; - T.S.Eliot

    “dogged persistence”

  3. adjective

    sticking together

    “two coherent sheets”

Say it in a sentence

“He has a tenacious memory for names and birthdays.”
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

6 sounds, in the order you say them
ttəschwa×2nneɪlong aʃshss

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

Questions

“tenacious”, answered

How do you pronounce “tenacious”?

“tenacious” is pronounced /təˈneɪʃəs/ (tuh-NAY-shuhs) in American English and /tɛneɪʃəs/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “ac”. Build it as ten-AC-ious, then run the second syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “tenacious” have?

3: ten · ac · ious. The beat lands on the second, “ac”.

Is “tenacious” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /təˈneɪʃəs/ (tuh-NAY-shuhs); British English says /tɛneɪʃəs/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “tenacious” mean?

As an adjective: good at remembering For example: “a retentive mind” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “tenacious”?

Stress the second syllable: ten-AC-ious. “ac” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

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