How to Pronounce “extraneous”

American (US)

/ɛkˈstɹeɪ.ni.əs/

British (UK)

/ɛkˈstɹeɪ.ni.əs/

adjective — Not belonging to, or dependent upon, a thing; without or beyond a thing; foreign.

Example: to separate gold from extraneous matter.

Where the stress falls. “extraneous” has 4 syllables, and the transcription /ɛkˈstɹeɪ.ni.əs/ 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. /ɛkˈstɹeɪ.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 "extraneous" mean?

extraneous (adjective): Not belonging to, or dependent upon, a thing; without or beyond a thing; foreign. For example — to separate gold from extraneous matter.

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

Both accents use the same sequence of phonemes for "extraneous", /ɛkˈstɹeɪ.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 "extraneous"?

/ɛkˈstɹeɪ.ni.əs/ in American English, /ɛkˈstɹeɪ.ni.əs/ in British English.

Which syllable is stressed in "extraneous"?

“extraneous” has 4 syllables, and the transcription /ɛkˈstɹeɪ.ni.əs/ 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.