Pronunciation

How to pronounce “veterinary

“veterinary” is pronounced /ˈvɛtəɹəˌnɛɹi/ (VET-uh-ruh-nair-ee) in American English and /ˈvɛtəɹɪnəɹi/ in British English — 5 syllables, stressed on “vet”.
The sound

Say “veterinary” in 5 beats

Say it like this

veterinary

/ˈvɛtəɹəˌnɛɹi/

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

5 beats
  1. vetstress
  2. er
  3. inɹə
  4. ar
  5. yɹi
IPA (American)
/ˈvɛtəɹəˌnɛɹi/
IPA (British)
/ˈvɛtəɹɪnəɹi/
Respelling
VET-uh-ruh-nair-ee
Syllables
5 — VET-er-in-ar-y
Stress
Stress the first syllable: VET-er-in-ar-y. “vet” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Part of speech
noun, adjective
Difficulty
Pro — the sounds are ordinary, the rhythm is where it slips
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˈvɛtəɹəˌnɛɹi/

British

/ˈvɛtəɹɪnəɹi/

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

Watch out

Where “veterinary” goes wrong

  • Often heard

    VET-rin-ry

    keep at least four syllables or it becomes impossible to follow

Meaning

What “veterinary” means

  1. noun

    a doctor who practices veterinary medicine

  2. adjective

    of or relating to veterinarians or veterinary medicine

Say it in a sentence

Veterinary costs have risen faster than anything else on the farm.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

7 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

veterinary”, answered

How do you pronounce “veterinary”?

“veterinary” is pronounced /ˈvɛtəɹəˌnɛɹi/ (VET-uh-ruh-nair-ee) in American English and /ˈvɛtəɹɪnəɹi/ in British English — 5 syllables, stressed on “vet”. Build it as VET-er-in-ar-y, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “veterinary” have?

5: vet · er · in · ar · y. The beat lands on the first, “vet”.

Is “veterinary” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈvɛtəɹəˌnɛɹi/ (VET-uh-ruh-nair-ee); British English says /ˈvɛtəɹɪnəɹi/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “veterinary” mean?

As a noun: a doctor who practices veterinary medicine For example: “Veterinary costs have risen faster than anything else on the farm.” It carries 1 other sense as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “veterinary”?

Stress the first syllable: VET-er-in-ar-y. “vet” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “veterinary” 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.