How to Pronounce “ontology”

American (US)

/ɒnˈtɒləd͡ʒi/

British (UK)

/ɒnˈtɒləd͡ʒi/

noun — The study of what exists, or a formal scheme of the entities in a domain and their relations.

Example: The team agreed on an ontology before writing any code.

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

ontology (noun): The study of what exists, or a formal scheme of the entities in a domain and their relations. For example — The team agreed on an ontology before writing any code.

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

Both accents use the same sequence of phonemes for "ontology", /ɒnˈtɒləd͡ʒi/, 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 "ontology"?

/ɒnˈtɒləd͡ʒi/ in American English, /ɒnˈtɒləd͡ʒi/ in British English.

Which syllable is stressed in "ontology"?

“ontology” has 4 syllables, and the transcription /ɒnˈtɒləd͡ʒi/ 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.