How to Pronounce “melanoma”

American (US)

/mɛləˈnoʊmə/

British (UK)

/mɛləˈnoʊmə/

noun — A dark-pigmented, usually malignant tumor arising from a melanocyte and occurring most commonly in the skin.

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

melanoma (noun): A dark-pigmented, usually malignant tumor arising from a melanocyte and occurring most commonly in the skin.

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

Both accents use the same sequence of phonemes for "melanoma", /mɛləˈnoʊmə/, 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 "melanoma"?

/mɛləˈnoʊmə/ in American English, /mɛləˈnoʊmə/ in British English.

Which syllable is stressed in "melanoma"?

“melanoma” has 4 syllables, and the transcription /mɛləˈnoʊmə/ 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.