How to Pronounce “democracy”

British (UK)

/dɪˈmɒk.ɹə.si/

Australian (AU)

/dɪˈmɔk.ɹə.si/

noun — Rule by the people, especially as a form of government, such as: A form of government where the people elect representatives who propose and approve laws and administer the government on their behalf (representative democracy).

Where the stress falls. “democracy” has 4 syllables, and the transcription /dɪˈmɒk.ɹə.si/ 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. /dɪˈmɒk.ɹə.si/ 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 "democracy" mean?

democracy (noun): Rule by the people, especially as a form of government, such as: A form of government where the people elect representatives who propose and approve laws and administer the government on their behalf (representative democracy).

Which syllable is stressed in "democracy"?

“democracy” has 4 syllables, and the transcription /dɪˈmɒk.ɹə.si/ 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.