How to pronounce historian
Say it like hih-STOR-ee-un. Historian has four syllables, and the main stress falls on the second one (STOR).
Click the play button next to American or British to hear how to pronounce historian. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- hih
- STOR
- ee
- un
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Historian pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- hihKeep this part quick and light. The vowel is the "i" in sit.
- STORSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "aw" in law.
- eeKeep this part quick and light. The vowel is the "ee" in see.
- unKeep this part quick and light. The vowel is the relaxed "uh" in about.
American vs British pronunciation of historian
American and British speakers say historian in essentially the same way: /hɪˈstɔriən/ in the US and /hɪˈstɔːriən/ in the UK.
British respelling: hih-STAW-ree-un.
What does historian mean?
- a person who is an authority on history and who studies it and writes about it
Where does historian come from?
From Middle English historian, historien, from Old French historien, from Latin historia (“story, history”), equivalent to histor(y) + -ian.
Words that rhyme with historian
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of historian.
Questions about saying historian
How do you pronounce historian?
Say hih-STOR-ee-un. The American pronunciation is /hɪˈstɔriən/. In British English it is /hɪˈstɔːriən/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in historian?
Historian has four syllables, and the main stress falls on the second one (STOR). Broken into parts: hih · STOR · ee · un.
Do Americans and Brits say historian the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /hɪˈstɔriən/ and the British form is /hɪˈstɔːriən/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.