How to pronounce penultimate
Say it like peh-NUHL-tuh-mut. Penultimate has four syllables, and the main stress falls on the second one (NUHL).
Click the play button next to American or British to hear how to pronounce penultimate. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- peh
- NUHL
- tuh
- mut
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Penultimate pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- pehKeep this part quick and light. The vowel is the "e" in bed.
- NUHLSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "u" in cup.
- tuhKeep this part quick and light. The vowel is the relaxed "uh" in about.
- mutKeep this part quick and light. The vowel is the relaxed "uh" in about.
American vs British pronunciation of penultimate
American and British speakers say penultimate in essentially the same way: /pɛˈnʌltəmət/ in the US and /pɛˈnʌltəmət/ in the UK.
British respelling: peh-NUHL-tuh-mut.
What does penultimate mean?
- A penult, a next to last, particularly
- The penultimate syllable of a word or metrical line.
- The penultimate (next to lowest) card in a suit.
- Next to last, second to last; immediately preceding the end of a sequence, list, etc.
- Of or pertaining to a penult.
- Relating to or denoting an element of a related collection of curves that is arbitrarily close to a degenerate form.
Where does penultimate come from?
From Latin paenultimus (“penultimate”) + -ate (adjective-forming suffix), from paene (“almost”) + ultimus (“last”).
Questions about saying penultimate
How do you pronounce penultimate?
Say peh-NUHL-tuh-mut. The American pronunciation is /pɛˈnʌltəmət/. In British English it is /pɛˈnʌltəmət/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in penultimate?
Penultimate has four syllables, and the main stress falls on the second one (NUHL). Broken into parts: peh · NUHL · tuh · mut.
Do Americans and Brits say penultimate the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /pɛˈnʌltəmət/ and the British form is /pɛˈnʌltəmət/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.