How to pronounce facetious
Say it like fuh-SEE-shus. Facetious has three syllables, and the main stress falls on the second one (SEE).
Click the play button next to American or British to hear how to pronounce facetious. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- fuh
- SEE
- shus
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Facetious pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- fuhKeep this part quick and light. The vowel is the relaxed "uh" in about.
- SEESay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "ee" in see.
- shusKeep this part quick and light. The vowel is the relaxed "uh" in about.
American vs British pronunciation of facetious
American and British speakers say facetious in essentially the same way: /fəˈsiʃəs/ in the US and /fəˈsiːʃəs/ in the UK.
British respelling: fuh-SEE-shus.
What does facetious mean?
- Treating serious issues with (often deliberately) inappropriate humor; flippant.“Robbie's joke about Heather's appearance was just him being facetious.”
- Pleasantly humorous; jocular.
- humorously silly or counterproductive for the purpose of sarcastically advocating the opposite.
Where does facetious come from?
From French facétieux, from Latin facētia (“jest, wit, humor”), from facētus (“witty, jocose, facetious”).
Words that rhyme with facetious
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of facetious.
Questions about saying facetious
How do you pronounce facetious?
Say fuh-SEE-shus. The American pronunciation is /fəˈsiʃəs/. In British English it is /fəˈsiːʃəs/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in facetious?
Facetious has three syllables, and the main stress falls on the second one (SEE). Broken into parts: fuh · SEE · shus.
Do Americans and Brits say facetious the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /fəˈsiʃəs/ and the British form is /fəˈsiːʃəs/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.