How to Pronounce “chemotherapy”

American (US)

/ˌkiːməʊˈθɛɹəpi/

British (UK)

/ˌkiːməʊˈθɛɹəpi/

noun — Any chemical treatment intended to be therapeutic with respect to a disease state.

Where the stress falls. “chemotherapy” has 5 syllables, and the transcription /ˌkiːməʊˈθɛɹəpi/ puts the primary stress mark (ˈ) before the third one — so the third syllable is the longest and loudest. The others are said quickly and lightly.

An unstressed vowel reduces to schwa. /ˌkiːməʊˈθɛɹəpi/ 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 "chemotherapy" mean?

chemotherapy (noun): Any chemical treatment intended to be therapeutic with respect to a disease state.

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

Both accents use the same sequence of phonemes for "chemotherapy", /ˌkiːməʊˈθɛɹəpi/, 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 "chemotherapy"?

/ˌkiːməʊˈθɛɹəpi/ in American English, /ˌkiːməʊˈθɛɹəpi/ in British English.

Which syllable is stressed in "chemotherapy"?

“chemotherapy” has 5 syllables, and the transcription /ˌkiːməʊˈθɛɹəpi/ puts the primary stress mark (ˈ) before the third one — so the third syllable is the longest and loudest. The others are said quickly and lightly.