Pronunciation

How to pronounce “vitamin

“vitamin” is pronounced /ˈvaɪtəmɪn/ (VY-tuh-min (UK VIT-uh-min)) in American English and /ˈvɪtəmɪn/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “vit”.
The sound

Say “vitamin” in 3 beats

Say it like this

vitamin

/ˈvaɪtəmɪn/

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

3 beats
  1. vitvaɪstress
  2. am
  3. inmɪn
IPA (American)
/ˈvaɪtəmɪn/
IPA (British)
/ˈvɪtəmɪn/
Respelling
VY-tuh-min (UK VIT-uh-min)
Syllables
3 — VIT-am-in
Stress
Stress the first syllable: VIT-am-in. “vit” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall 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

/ˈvaɪtəmɪn/

Long first vowel, as in vital.

British

/ˈvɪtəmɪn/

Short first vowel, as in sit.

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

Watch out

Where “vitamin” goes wrong

  • Often heard

    one form is wrong

    American English says VY-tuh-min; British English says VIT-uh-min. Both are standard.

Meaning

What “vitamin” means

  1. noun

    any of a group of organic substances essential in small quantities to normal metabolism

Say it in a sentence

A single orange covers most of your vitamin C for the day.
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

vitamin”, answered

How do you pronounce “vitamin”?

“vitamin” is pronounced /ˈvaɪtəmɪn/ (VY-tuh-min (UK VIT-uh-min)) in American English and /ˈvɪtəmɪn/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “vit”. Build it as VIT-am-in, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “vitamin” have?

3: vit · am · in. The beat lands on the first, “vit”.

Is “vitamin” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈvaɪtəmɪn/ (VY-tuh-min (UK VIT-uh-min)); British English says /ˈvɪtəmɪn/. Short first vowel, as in sit. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “vitamin” mean?

As a noun: any of a group of organic substances essential in small quantities to normal metabolism For example: “A single orange covers most of your vitamin C for the day.”

Where is the stress in “vitamin”?

Stress the first syllable: VIT-am-in. “vit” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “vitamin” 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.