How to Pronounce “platelet”

American (US)

/ˈpleɪt.lət/

British (UK)

/ˈpleɪt.lət/

noun — A small colorless disk-shaped particle found in the blood of mammals, which plays an important role in the formation of blood clots.

Where the stress falls. “platelet” has 2 syllables, and the transcription /ˈpleɪt.lət/ 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. /ˈpleɪt.lət/ 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 "platelet" mean?

platelet (noun): A small colorless disk-shaped particle found in the blood of mammals, which plays an important role in the formation of blood clots.

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

Both accents use the same sequence of phonemes for "platelet", /ˈpleɪt.lət/, 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 "platelet"?

/ˈpleɪt.lət/ in American English, /ˈpleɪt.lət/ in British English.

Which syllable is stressed in "platelet"?

“platelet” has 2 syllables, and the transcription /ˈpleɪt.lət/ 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.