How to Pronounce “leukemia”

American (US)

/luːˈkiːmiə/

British (UK)

/luːˈkiːmiə/

noun — A cancer of the blood-forming tissues, including the bone marrow.

Example: He has been in remission from leukemia for five years.

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

leukemia (noun): A cancer of the blood-forming tissues, including the bone marrow. For example — He has been in remission from leukemia for five years.

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

Both accents use the same sequence of phonemes for "leukemia", /luːˈkiːmiə/, 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 "leukemia"?

/luːˈkiːmiə/ in American English, /luːˈkiːmiə/ in British English.

Which syllable is stressed in "leukemia"?

“leukemia” has 4 syllables, and the transcription /luːˈkiːmiə/ 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.