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Pronunciation

How to pronounce “transformative”

“transformative” is pronounced /tɹænsˈfɔɹmətɪv/ (trans-FOR-muh-tiv) in American English and /tɹansˈfɔːmətɪv/ in British English — 4 syllables, stressed on “sfɔɹ”.
The sound

Say “transformative” in 4 beats

Say it like this

transformative

/tɹænsˈfɔɹmətɪv/

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

4 beats
  1. tɹæntɹæn
  2. sfɔɹsfɔɹstress
  3. məmə
  4. tɪvtɪv
IPA (American)
/tɹænsˈfɔɹmətɪv/
IPA (British)
/tɹansˈfɔːmətɪv/
Respelling
trans-FOR-muh-tiv
Syllables
4 — tɹæn-SFƆɹ-mə-tɪv
Stress
Stress the second syllable: tɹæn-SFƆɹ-mə-tɪv. “sfɔɹ” 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

/tɹænsˈfɔɹmətɪv/

British

/tɹansˈfɔːmətɪv/

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

Watch out

Where “transformative” goes wrong

  • Often heard

    “TRANS-for-may-tiv”

    the stress is on FOR and the -ative ending reduces to -muh-tiv

Meaning

What “transformative” means

  1. adjective

    causing a great and lasting change in someone or something

Say it in a sentence

“The year abroad was transformative for her confidence.”
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

11 sounds, in the order you say them
tt×2ɹr×2æshort annssffɔawmməschwaɪshort ivv

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

Questions

“transformative”, answered

How do you pronounce “transformative”?

“transformative” is pronounced /tɹænsˈfɔɹmətɪv/ (trans-FOR-muh-tiv) in American English and /tɹansˈfɔːmətɪv/ in British English — 4 syllables, stressed on “sfɔɹ”. Build it as tɹæn-SFƆɹ-mə-tɪv, then run the second syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “transformative” have?

4: tɹæn · sfɔɹ · mə · tɪv. The beat lands on the second, “sfɔɹ”.

Is “transformative” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /tɹænsˈfɔɹmətɪv/ (trans-FOR-muh-tiv); British English says /tɹansˈfɔːmətɪv/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “transformative” mean?

As an adjective: causing a great and lasting change in someone or something For example: “The year abroad was transformative for her confidence.”

Where is the stress in “transformative”?

Stress the second syllable: tɹæn-SFƆɹ-mə-tɪv. “sfɔɹ” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “transformative” and see every sound

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