How to Pronounce “predominant”

American (US)

/pɹɪˈdɒmɪnənt/

British (UK)

/pɹɪˈdɒmɪnənt/

adjective — Common or widespread; prevalent.

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

predominant (adjective): Common or widespread; prevalent.

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

Both accents use the same sequence of phonemes for "predominant", /pɹɪˈdɒmɪnənt/, 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 "predominant"?

/pɹɪˈdɒmɪnənt/ in American English, /pɹɪˈdɒmɪnənt/ in British English.

Which syllable is stressed in "predominant"?

“predominant” has 4 syllables, and the transcription /pɹɪˈdɒmɪnənt/ 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.

• TOEFL pronunciation words