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Word 178 of 545 · The stress trap

How to pronounce athletic

/æθˈletɪk/ British English

athLETik

3 beats (syllables). The strong beat is the second one.

✗ Many people say

ATHletic

✓ Say

athLETik

My tip

Words ending in -ic stress the beat just before: ath-LET-ik.

In a sentence

He’s very athletic.

Now you say it

  1. Listen to me two or three times.
  2. Say it slowly, one beat at a time: ath-LET-ik.
  3. Say the sentence at normal speed.

Questions

How do you pronounce athletic?

In British English, athletic is pronounced /æθˈletɪk/. Say it like this: ath-LET-ik. Words ending in -ic stress the beat just before: ath-LET-ik.

How many syllables are in athletic?

When you say it, athletic has 3 syllables: ath-LET-ik. The strong beat is the second one, LET.

More words like this: the stress trap

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