How to Pronounce “anemone”

American (US)

/əˈneməni/

British (UK)

/əˈneməni/

Australian (AU)

/əˈneməni/

noun — A spring-flowering plant of the buttercup family, or a soft-bodied sea creature with stinging tentacles.

Example: A clownfish sheltered inside the anemone.

A loanword from Greek. The final e is a full vowel: “uh-NEM-uh-nee”. The alternating n and m sounds are what make the word so easy to trip over.

Where the stress falls. “anemone” has 4 syllables, and the transcription /əˈneməni/ puts the primary stress mark (ˈ) before the second one — so the second syllable is the longest and loudest. The others are said quickly and lightly.

An unstressed vowel reduces to schwa. /əˈneməni/ contains a schwa /ə/ — the short, neutral “uh” that English unstressed syllables collapse into. Saying /ə/ there, instead of the vowel the spelling suggests, is most of what makes the word sound native.

What does "anemone" mean?

anemone (noun): A spring-flowering plant of the buttercup family, or a soft-bodied sea creature with stinging tentacles. For example — A clownfish sheltered inside the anemone.

How do you pronounce "anemone" in American vs British English?

Both accents use the same sequence of phonemes for "anemone", /əˈneməni/, so the difference you hear is in how the vowels are coloured rather than in which sounds are used. Play both on this page to compare.

What is the IPA transcription of "anemone"?

/əˈneməni/ in American English, /əˈneməni/ in British English, /əˈneməni/ in Australian English.

Which syllable is stressed in "anemone"?

“anemone” has 4 syllables, and the transcription /əˈneməni/ puts the primary stress mark (ˈ) before the second one — so the second syllable is the longest and loudest. The others are said quickly and lightly.

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