How to Pronounce “heparin”

American (US)

/ˈhɛp.ə.ɹɪn/

British (UK)

/ˈhɛp.ə.ɹɪn/

noun — A compound occurring in the liver and other tissues which inhibits blood coagulation. A sulfur-containing polysaccharide, it is used as an anticoagulant in the treatment of thrombosis.

Where the stress falls. “heparin” has 3 syllables, and the transcription /ˈhɛp.ə.ɹɪn/ 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. /ˈhɛp.ə.ɹɪn/ 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 "heparin" mean?

heparin (noun): A compound occurring in the liver and other tissues which inhibits blood coagulation. A sulfur-containing polysaccharide, it is used as an anticoagulant in the treatment of thrombosis.

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

Both accents use the same sequence of phonemes for "heparin", /ˈhɛp.ə.ɹɪn/, 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 "heparin"?

/ˈhɛp.ə.ɹɪn/ in American English, /ˈhɛp.ə.ɹɪn/ in British English.

Which syllable is stressed in "heparin"?

“heparin” has 3 syllables, and the transcription /ˈhɛp.ə.ɹɪn/ 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.