How to Pronounce “diaphragm”

American (US)

/ˈdaɪəfræm/

British (UK)

/ˈdaɪəfræm/

noun — The sheet of muscle below the lungs that drives breathing.

Example: Singers learn to breathe from the diaphragm.

Where the stress falls. “diaphragm” has 3 syllables, and the transcription /ˈdaɪəfræm/ puts the primary stress mark (ˈ) before the first one — so the first syllable is the longest and loudest. The others are said quickly and lightly.

An unstressed vowel reduces to schwa. /ˈdaɪəfræm/ 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 "diaphragm" mean?

diaphragm (noun): The sheet of muscle below the lungs that drives breathing. For example — Singers learn to breathe from the diaphragm.

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

Both accents use the same sequence of phonemes for "diaphragm", /ˈdaɪəfræm/, 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 "diaphragm"?

/ˈdaɪəfræm/ in American English, /ˈdaɪəfræm/ in British English.

Which syllable is stressed in "diaphragm"?

“diaphragm” has 3 syllables, and the transcription /ˈdaɪəfræm/ puts the primary stress mark (ˈ) before the first one — so the first syllable is the longest and loudest. The others are said quickly and lightly.

• Silent G words