How to pronounce “nausea”
Nausea is pronounced /ˈnɔːziːə/. It has 3 syllables, and the beat falls on the first one — nɔː. Below: the syllable split, native audio in both accents, the mistake people actually make with this word, and every individual sound in it explained.
Syllables and stress
Split it into 3 beats. The highlighted syllable is the strong one: say it louder, longer and a touch higher in pitch, and let the others fall away. English is a stress-timed language, so getting nɔː in the right place matters more to a listener than getting every vowel perfect.
Stress pattern Ooo — capital letters mark the stressed beats.
The common mispronunciation of “nausea”
✗ Often said: /ˈnɔːsiː/ — the spelling, read straight off the page.
✓ Actually: /ˈnɔːziːə/
Why the two come apart: the unstressed vowels flatten all the way down to /ə/ — English swallows them, so they never sound the way they are written; also, a consonant letter takes an unexpected sound value here, so reading it "as written" comes out wrong.
This is why reading English aloud from spelling alone goes wrong so often: the letters of “nausea” are not a reliable map of its sounds. The IPA is — each symbol stands for exactly one sound, every time.
“nausea” sound by sound
“nausea” is built out of 5 sounds. Say each one on its own first, slowly, then run them together at speed. Every sound links to a full guide with mouth position, the mistake learners make with it, and other words that use it.
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nTouch the tongue tip to the ridge behind the upper teeth, lower the soft palate, and voice the air out through the nose.
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ɔːTongue low and back like /ɑː/, but round the lips and push them forward slightly; the sound is long and rounded.
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zExactly the /s/ tongue position with voicing added, so the airflow buzzes.
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iːSpread the lips into a smile, push the front of the tongue high and forward, and hold the sound tense and long.
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əDo almost nothing: leave the tongue in its neutral resting position, mouth slightly open, and make the shortest, weakest possible vowel.
Questions people ask about “nausea”
- How do you pronounce “nausea”?
- “nausea” is pronounced /ˈnɔːziːə/, with the stress on the first syllable (nɔː). Press the US or UK button above to hear it spoken.
- How many syllables are in “nausea”?
- “nausea” has 3 syllables: nɔː · ziː · ə. The stress pattern is Ooo.
- What is the common mispronunciation of “nausea”?
- People read it off the spelling as /ˈnɔːsiː/, but it is actually /ˈnɔːziːə/, because the unstressed vowels flatten all the way down to /ə/ — English swallows them, so they never sound the way they are written.
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