How to pronounce foraminifera
Say it like fuh-ram-uh-NIF-uh-ruh. Foraminifera has six syllables, and the main stress falls on the fourth one (NIF).
Click the play button next to American or British to hear how to pronounce foraminifera. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- fuh
- ram
- uh
- NIF
- uh
- ruh
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Foraminifera 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.
- ramGive this part a little weight. The vowel is the "a" in cat.
- uhKeep this part quick and light. The vowel is the relaxed "uh" in about.
- NIFSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "i" in sit.
- uhKeep this part quick and light. The vowel is the relaxed "uh" in about.
- ruhKeep this part quick and light. The vowel is the relaxed "uh" in about.
American vs British pronunciation of foraminifera
American and British speakers say foraminifera in essentially the same way: /fəˌræməˈnɪfərə/ in the US and /ˌfɒrəmɪˈnɪfərə/ in the UK.
British respelling: for-uh-mih-NIF-uh-ruh.
What does foraminifera mean?
- Synonym of foraminifer (“any of a large group of aquatic amoeboid protists of the subphylum Foraminifera, characterized by streaming granular ectoplasm that among other things is used for catching food, often with a calcareous shell with many holes through which pseudopodia protrude”).
- plural of foraminiferon
- plural of foraminiferum
Where does foraminifera come from?
Learned borrowing from New Latin Foraminifera (subphylum name), from French foraminifère (“foraminifer, foraminifera”), from French Foraminifères, coined by the French naturalist Alcide d’Orbigny (1802–1857) in an 1826 article.
Questions about saying foraminifera
How do you pronounce foraminifera?
Say fuh-ram-uh-NIF-uh-ruh. The American pronunciation is /fəˌræməˈnɪfərə/. In British English it is /ˌfɒrəmɪˈnɪfərə/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in foraminifera?
Foraminifera has six syllables, and the main stress falls on the fourth one (NIF). Broken into parts: fuh · ram · uh · NIF · uh · ruh.
Do Americans and Brits say foraminifera the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /fəˌræməˈnɪfərə/ and the British form is /ˌfɒrəmɪˈnɪfərə/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.