How to Pronounce “neuropathy”

American (US)

/ˌnjuːˈrɒ.pə.θiː/

British (UK)

/ˌnjuːˈrɒ.pə.θiː/

noun — Any disease of the peripheral nervous system; peripheral neuropathy.

Example: Long-standing diabetes often causes neuropathy in the retinas, fingertips, and toes.

Where the stress falls. “neuropathy” has 4 syllables, and the transcription /ˌnjuːˈrɒ.pə.θiː/ 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. /ˌnjuːˈrɒ.pə.θiː/ 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 "neuropathy" mean?

neuropathy (noun): Any disease of the peripheral nervous system; peripheral neuropathy. For example — Long-standing diabetes often causes neuropathy in the retinas, fingertips, and toes.

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

Both accents use the same sequence of phonemes for "neuropathy", /ˌnjuːˈrɒ.pə.θiː/, 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 "neuropathy"?

/ˌnjuːˈrɒ.pə.θiː/ in American English, /ˌnjuːˈrɒ.pə.θiː/ in British English.

Which syllable is stressed in "neuropathy"?

“neuropathy” has 4 syllables, and the transcription /ˌnjuːˈrɒ.pə.θiː/ 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.