How to Pronounce “diabetes”

American (US)

/ˌdaɪəˈbiːtiːz/

British (UK)

/ˌdaɪəˈbiːtiːz/

Australian (AU)

/ˌdɑɪəˈbiːtiːz/

noun — A disease in which the body cannot properly regulate blood sugar.

Example: Type 2 diabetes is often managed with diet and medication.

Where the stress falls. “diabetes” has 4 syllables, and the transcription /ˌdaɪəˈbiːtiːz/ 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. /ˌdaɪəˈbiːtiːz/ 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 "diabetes" mean?

diabetes (noun): A disease in which the body cannot properly regulate blood sugar. For example — Type 2 diabetes is often managed with diet and medication.

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

Both accents use the same sequence of phonemes for "diabetes", /ˌdaɪəˈbiːtiːz/, 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 "diabetes"?

/ˌdaɪəˈbiːtiːz/ in American English, /ˌdaɪəˈbiːtiːz/ in British English, /ˌdɑɪəˈbiːtiːz/ in Australian English.

Which syllable is stressed in "diabetes"?

“diabetes” has 4 syllables, and the transcription /ˌdaɪəˈbiːtiːz/ 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.

• Medical terms