How to Pronounce “nuclear”

American (US)

/ˈnuːkliər/

British (UK)

/ˈnjuːklɪə/

adjective — Relating to the nucleus of an atom, or to the energy released by splitting or fusing one.

Example: The country gets a third of its electricity from nuclear power.

Where the stress falls. “nuclear” has 3 syllables, and the transcription /ˈnuːkliər/ 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. /ˈnuːkliər/ 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 "nuclear" mean?

nuclear (adjective): Relating to the nucleus of an atom, or to the energy released by splitting or fusing one. For example — The country gets a third of its electricity from nuclear power.

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

American English: /ˈnuːkliər/. British English: /ˈnjuːklɪə/. Play both on this page to hear the difference.

What is the IPA transcription of "nuclear"?

/ˈnuːkliər/ in American English, /ˈnjuːklɪə/ in British English.

Which syllable is stressed in "nuclear"?

“nuclear” has 3 syllables, and the transcription /ˈnuːkliər/ 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.

English Sentence Stress — Stress Guide

Why some words in a sentence are loud and others vanish, and how mastering this pattern fixes more intelligibility problems than any individual sound.

• Yod-dropping words
• Commonly mispronounced words