How to pronounce 20 science words
A listening guide to laboratory vocabulary, chemical names, and words from biology and physics.
Compare word endings
Biology, ecology, and zoology share an ending, but their opening vowels differ. Listen to each complete word before repeating the ending alone. Then rebuild the word from the beginning, preserving the main stress shown in its practice note.
Keep neighboring consonants together
Chemistry starts with k and later includes s-t-r. Molybdenum has b followed by d, and atmosphere begins with a vowel followed by t-m. Practice those transitions slowly without inserting new vowels between the consonants.
Listen for fuller and shorter pronunciations
Temperature can have three or four syllables. Laboratory also changes rhythm across accents and pronunciations. Compare the syllable count and stress described in each listening note with what the speaker in the video actually says.
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20 wordsChoose a word to hear it in an APG video.
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Try 4 questions from this guide. Each answer includes an APG video, dictionary reference, and explanation.
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67 wordsKeep listening with an APG video and a pronunciation tip for each word.
- acetylene
uh-SET-uh-leen: the c sounds like s.
- acid
Stress “ac” and give “c” an “s” sound.
- adenosine
uh-DEN-uh-seen: finish with the long ee of “seen.”
- alchemy
AL-kuh-mee: ch sounds like k.
- alkaline
Put primary stress on “al.”
- allele
uh-LEEL: give the last syllable the stress.
- alveoli
al-VEE-uh-ly: stress VEE.
- amalgam
uh-MAL-gum: the middle syllable takes the main beat.
- amaryllis
am-uh-RIL-us: bring out the short i in RIL.
- ambidextrous
am-bih-DEK-strus: stress DEK.
- ammonia
Stress “mo,” using the vowel in “go.”
- ammonium
uh-MOH-nee-um: make MOH the strongest syllable.
- amoeba
The middle syllable sounds like “mee.”
- antennae
an-TEN-ee: the plural ending sounds like ee.
- arachnids
uh-RAK-nudz: ch sounds like k.
- arboretum
ar-ber-EE-tum: stress the long ee.
- arithmetic
uh-RITH-muh-tik: the noun gives RITH the main beat.
- asbestos
Give “bes” the strongest beat.
- asteroid
Keep the primary stress on “as.”
- asynchronous
ay-SING-kruh-nus: stress SING.
- attenuation
uh-ten-yoo-AY-shun: the main beat is AY.
- automata
aw-TAH-muh-tuh: this plural stresses TAH.
- axiom
AK-see-um: the x sounds like ks.
- beryllium
ber-IL-ee-um: stress the short i in IL.
- binoculars
Stress “noc” and keep the “y” after “k.”
- buoyancy
BOY-un-see: begin with “boy.”
- cacti
Stress CAK.
- calcium
Stress “cal” and give the second “c” an “s” sound.
- capsaicin
kap-SAY-sun: give SAY the strongest beat.
- carbon
Give “car” the strongest beat.
- centigrade
Keep the primary stress on “cen.”
- chlorophyll
Start with “kl” and stress the first syllable.
- cicada
Stress “ca,” with the sound of “kay.”
- cochlea
Stress “coch” and give “ch” a “k” sound.
- coefficient
Give “fi” the strongest beat.
- coelacanth
SEE-luh-kanth: the initial coe sounds like see.
- colloidal
kuh-LOY-duhl: the stressed vowel rhymes with “boy.”
- congruent
KONG-groo-unt: stress the first syllable.
- dinosaur
Start with a strong “die.”
- equilibrium
Stress “lib,” the third syllable.
- evaporation
Stress RAY.
- evolution
Stress LOO.
- fungi
FUN-jy uses the j sound in jam.
- galaxy
Stress “gal” and give “x” the sounds “ks.”
- glacier
Start with the vowel in “day.”
- halogen
Stress “hal” and give “g” a soft sound.
- herbivore
HUR-bih-vor: pronounce the initial h.
- lithium
Stress “lith” and use the “th” of “thin.”
- meteor
Begin with a strong “mee.”
- nitrogen
Stress “ni,” using the vowel in “my.”
- rhinoceros
ry-NAH-suh-rus: the c sounds like s.
- rhododendron
roh-duh-DEN-drun: give DEN the main beat.
- silicon
Stress “sil” and keep the final two vowels light.
- species
Start with a strong “spee” and finish with “z.”
- spectrum
Stress “spec” and keep “ktr” connected.
- strychnine
STRIK-nine: ch has a k sound.
- telescope
Keep the primary stress on “tel.”
- theory
Stress the first syllable.
- thermometer
Put the main beat on “mom.”
- tsunami
soo-NAH-mee: give NAH the strongest beat.
- uranium
Stress “ra,” using the long “a” of “day.”
- vacuum
Stress “vac” and listen for “yoo” after “k.”
- velocity
The second syllable carries the main beat.
- vertebrae
Keep the primary stress on “ver.”
- xenon
Start with “z,” rather than “ks.”
- yttrium
Begin with a stressed short “i.”
- zirconium
Stress “co,” using the vowel in “go.”
Sources & classroom use
Each listening tip follows the IPA shown beside its word. Other dictionary pronunciations appear on the word page; individual speakers may vary.
Practice phrases were written for these exercises; quoted book passages remain in the separate, sourced book sections. These guides and practice notes are available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Credit American Pronunciation Guide and retain the linked dictionary attributions. Videos and other reference material keep their own terms.
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