HOW TO PRONOUNCE
silicon
/ˈsɪləkən/
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American Pronunciation Guide · 1:05
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Stress “sil” and keep the final two vowels light.
Use three syllables, beginning with the short i of sit. The c has a hard k sound, followed by a light vowel and n; keep the main beat at the start.
3 syllables · Stress on syllable 1
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“The diagram identifies the silicon layer.”
APG practice sentence · CC BY-SA 4.0
CMU Pronouncing Dictionary ↗What does silicon mean?
noun
- A nonmetallic element (symbol Si) with an atomic number of 14 and atomic weight of 28.0855.
- A single atom of this element.
- (slang) Computing.
More meanings (2)
noun
- (slang) A computer processor.
- Abbreviation of silicon chip.
Definitions regrouped for readability · CC BY-SA 4.0
IPA pronunciation
/ˈsɪləkən/
Pronunciation used in the listening tip.
CMU Pronouncing Dictionary ↗Pronunciation varies by speaker and region. About these dictionary pronunciations.
In the pages of books
See this word in context.
His notes include the use of powdered silicon mixed with lime or other very infusible non-conductors or semi-conductors.
Pig-iron contains silicon, sulphur and phosphorus, and these impurities make it brittle so that a cast iron teakettle will break at a blow, like a china cup.
More book examples (2)
(Organic Minerals): Iron, sodium calcium, potassium, magnesium, silicon.
Though sulfur is found in plants in very appreciable amounts and is known to be essential to plant growth, it is evident that plants do not need so much sulfur as they often contain, some of it being taken up and merely tolerated, as is the case with all of the sodium and silicon found in plants, neither of these being required for normal growth, although commonly found in plants in very considerable amounts.