How to pronounce meticulous
Say it like muh-TIK-yuh-lus. Meticulous has four syllables, and the main stress falls on the second one (TIK).
Click the play button next to American or British to hear how to pronounce meticulous. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- muh
- TIK
- yuh
- lus
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Meticulous pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- muhKeep this part quick and light. The vowel is the relaxed "uh" in about.
- TIKSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "i" in sit.
- yuhKeep this part quick and light. The vowel is the relaxed "uh" in about.
- lusKeep this part quick and light. The vowel is the relaxed "uh" in about.
American vs British pronunciation of meticulous
American and British speakers say meticulous in essentially the same way: /məˈtɪkjələs/ in the US and /məˈtɪkjələs/ in the UK.
British respelling: muh-TIK-yuh-lus.
What does meticulous mean?
- Characterized by very precise, conscientious attention to details.“meticulous search”
Where does meticulous come from?
Learned borrowing from Latin meticulōsus (“full of fear, timid, fearful, terrible, frightful”), from metus (“fear”) and -culōsus, extracted from perīculōsus (“perilous”).
Similar and opposite words
Similar meaning
Opposite meaning
Words that rhyme with meticulous
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of meticulous.
Questions about saying meticulous
How do you pronounce meticulous?
Say muh-TIK-yuh-lus. The American pronunciation is /məˈtɪkjələs/. In British English it is /məˈtɪkjələs/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in meticulous?
Meticulous has four syllables, and the main stress falls on the second one (TIK). Broken into parts: muh · TIK · yuh · lus.
Do Americans and Brits say meticulous the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /məˈtɪkjələs/ and the British form is /məˈtɪkjələs/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.