How to Pronounce “peritonitis”

American (US)

/ˌpɛ.ɹɪ.tə.ˈnaɪ.tɪs/

British (UK)

/ˌpɛ.ɹɪ.tə.ˈnaɪ.tɪs/

noun — Inflammation of the peritoneum, especially when caused by an infectious organism introduced into the abdominal cavity.

Where the stress falls. “peritonitis” has 5 syllables, and the transcription /ˌpɛ.ɹɪ.tə.ˈnaɪ.tɪs/ puts the primary stress mark (ˈ) before the fourth one — so the fourth syllable is the longest and loudest. The others are said quickly and lightly.

An unstressed vowel reduces to schwa. /ˌpɛ.ɹɪ.tə.ˈnaɪ.tɪs/ 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 "peritonitis" mean?

peritonitis (noun): Inflammation of the peritoneum, especially when caused by an infectious organism introduced into the abdominal cavity.

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

Both accents use the same sequence of phonemes for "peritonitis", /ˌpɛ.ɹɪ.tə.ˈnaɪ.tɪs/, 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 "peritonitis"?

/ˌpɛ.ɹɪ.tə.ˈnaɪ.tɪs/ in American English, /ˌpɛ.ɹɪ.tə.ˈnaɪ.tɪs/ in British English.

Which syllable is stressed in "peritonitis"?

“peritonitis” has 5 syllables, and the transcription /ˌpɛ.ɹɪ.tə.ˈnaɪ.tɪs/ puts the primary stress mark (ˈ) before the fourth one — so the fourth syllable is the longest and loudest. The others are said quickly and lightly.