How to Pronounce “ubiquitous”

American (US)

/juːˈbɪkwɪtəs/

British (UK)

/juːˈbɪkwɪtəs/

Australian (AU)

/jʉːˈbɪkwɪtəs/

adjective — Present or found everywhere.

Example: Smartphones are now ubiquitous.

Synonyms: omnipresent, pervasive

Antonyms: rare, scarce

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

ubiquitous (adjective): Present or found everywhere. For example — Smartphones are now ubiquitous.

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

Both accents use the same sequence of phonemes for "ubiquitous", /juːˈbɪkwɪtəs/, 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 "ubiquitous"?

/juːˈbɪkwɪtəs/ in American English, /juːˈbɪkwɪtəs/ in British English, /jʉːˈbɪkwɪtəs/ in Australian English.

Which syllable is stressed in "ubiquitous"?

“ubiquitous” has 4 syllables, and the transcription /juːˈbɪkwɪtəs/ 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.