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Pronunciation

How to pronounce “tentative”

“tentative” is pronounced /ˈtɛntətɪv/ (TEN-tuh-tiv) in American English and /tɛntətɪv/ in British English, and /ˈtɛnətɪv/ is also accepted — 3 syllables, stressed on “tɛn”.
The sound

Say “tentative” in 3 beats

Say it like this

tentative

/ˈtɛntətɪv/

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

3 beats
  1. tɛntɛnstress
  2. tətə
  3. tɪvtɪv
IPA (American)
/ˈtɛntətɪv/
IPA (British)
/tɛntətɪv/
Also accepted
/ˈtɛnətɪv/
Respelling
TEN-tuh-tiv
Syllables
3 — TƐN-tə-tɪv
Stress
Stress the first syllable: TƐN-tə-tɪv. “tɛn” 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

/ˈtɛntətɪv/

British

/tɛntətɪv/

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

Meaning

What “tentative” means

  1. adjective

    under terms not final or fully worked out or agreed upon

    “probationary employees”

  2. adjective

    unsettled in mind or opinion

    “drew a few tentative conclusions”

Say it in a sentence

“We made a tentative plan to meet again in April.”
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

6 sounds, in the order you say them
tt×3ɛshort ennəschwaɪshort ivv

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

Questions

“tentative”, answered

How do you pronounce “tentative”?

“tentative” is pronounced /ˈtɛntətɪv/ (TEN-tuh-tiv) in American English and /tɛntətɪv/ in British English, and /ˈtɛnətɪv/ is also accepted — 3 syllables, stressed on “tɛn”. Build it as TƐN-tə-tɪv, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “tentative” have?

3: tɛn · tə · tɪv. The beat lands on the first, “tɛn”.

Is “tentative” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈtɛntətɪv/ (TEN-tuh-tiv); British English says /tɛntətɪv/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “tentative” mean?

As an adjective: under terms not final or fully worked out or agreed upon For example: “probationary employees” It carries 1 other sense as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “tentative”?

Stress the first syllable: TƐN-tə-tɪv. “tɛn” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

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