How to Pronounce “arrhythmia”

American (US)

/eɪˈɹɪð.mɪ.ə/

British (UK)

/eɪˈɹɪð.mɪ.ə/

noun — An irregular heartbeat; a lack of a regular pulse.

Where the stress falls. “arrhythmia” has 4 syllables, and the transcription /eɪˈɹɪð.mɪ.ə/ 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. /eɪˈɹɪð.mɪ.ə/ 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 "arrhythmia" mean?

arrhythmia (noun): An irregular heartbeat; a lack of a regular pulse.

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

Both accents use the same sequence of phonemes for "arrhythmia", /eɪˈɹɪð.mɪ.ə/, 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 "arrhythmia"?

/eɪˈɹɪð.mɪ.ə/ in American English, /eɪˈɹɪð.mɪ.ə/ in British English.

Which syllable is stressed in "arrhythmia"?

“arrhythmia” has 4 syllables, and the transcription /eɪˈɹɪð.mɪ.ə/ 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.