How to pronounce “plagiarism”
Plagiarism is pronounced /ˈpleɪdʒərˌɪzəm/. It has 4 syllables, and the beat falls on the first one — pleɪ. 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 4 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 pleɪ in the right place matters more to a listener than getting every vowel perfect.
Stress pattern Ooōo — capital letters mark the stressed beats.
“plagiarism” sound by sound
“plagiarism” is built out of 9 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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pPress both lips together, build up air behind them, then release with a puff of air (aspiration) when the sound starts a stressed syllable.
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lTouch the tongue tip to the ridge behind the upper teeth and let the voiced air flow around the sides of the tongue.
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eɪStart at the /e/ position and glide upward and forward toward /ɪ/ — the jaw closes as you say it.
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dʒThe voiced twin of /tʃ/: stop the air with the tongue at the ridge and release it into a voiced /ʒ/ buzz.
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ərThe same r-coloured tongue shape as /ɜːr/ but weak, short and unstressed — the ending of "teacher", "doctor", "sugar".
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ɪRelax the tongue slightly lower and further back than for /iː/, keep the lips neutral, and make it short and lax.
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zExactly the /s/ tongue position with voicing added, so the airflow buzzes.
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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.
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mClose the lips, lower the soft palate and let the voiced air come out through the nose.
Questions people ask about “plagiarism”
- How do you pronounce “plagiarism”?
- “plagiarism” is pronounced /ˈpleɪdʒərˌɪzəm/, with the stress on the first syllable (pleɪ). Press the US or UK button above to hear it spoken.
- How many syllables are in “plagiarism”?
- “plagiarism” has 4 syllables: pleɪ · dʒər · ɪ · zəm. The stress pattern is Ooōo.
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