How to Pronounce “contemporaneous”

American (US)

/kənˌtɛm.pəˈɹeɪ.ni.əs/

British (UK)

/kənˌtɛm.pəˈɹeɪ.ni.əs/

adjective — Existing or created in the same period of time.

Example: Look in other contemporaneous works to see whether that idea was common then.

Where the stress falls. “contemporaneous” has 6 syllables, and the transcription /kənˌtɛm.pəˈɹeɪ.ni.əs/ puts the primary stress mark (ˈ) before the fourth one — so the fourth syllable is the longest and loudest. The others are said quickly and lightly.

An unstressed vowel reduces to schwa. /kənˌtɛm.pəˈɹeɪ.ni.əs/ 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 "contemporaneous" mean?

contemporaneous (adjective): Existing or created in the same period of time. For example — Look in other contemporaneous works to see whether that idea was common then.

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

Both accents use the same sequence of phonemes for "contemporaneous", /kənˌtɛm.pəˈɹeɪ.ni.əs/, 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 "contemporaneous"?

/kənˌtɛm.pəˈɹeɪ.ni.əs/ in American English, /kənˌtɛm.pəˈɹeɪ.ni.əs/ in British English.

Which syllable is stressed in "contemporaneous"?

“contemporaneous” has 6 syllables, and the transcription /kənˌtɛm.pəˈɹeɪ.ni.əs/ puts the primary stress mark (ˈ) before the fourth one — so the fourth syllable is the longest and loudest. The others are said quickly and lightly.