How to pronounce productive
Say it like pruh-DUHK-tiv. Productive has three syllables, and the main stress falls on the second one (DUHK).
Click the play button next to American or British to hear how to pronounce productive. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- pruh
- DUHK
- tiv
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Productive pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- pruhKeep this part quick and light. The vowel is the relaxed "uh" in about.
- DUHKSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "u" in cup.
- tivKeep this part quick and light. The vowel is the "i" in sit.
American vs British pronunciation of productive
American and British speakers say productive in essentially the same way: /prəˈdʌktɪv/ in the US and /prəˈdʌktɪv/ in the UK.
British respelling: pruh-DUHK-tiv.
What does productive mean?
- producing or capable of producing (especially abundantly)“productive farmland”“his productive years”
- having the ability to produce or originate“generative power”“generative forces”
- yielding positive results
Where does productive come from?
Borrowed from Late Latin productivus, equivalent to product + -ive.
Similar and opposite words
Opposite meaning
Words that rhyme with productive
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of productive.
- destructive
- constructive
- seductive
- conductive
- instructive
- obstructive
- inductive
- reconstructive
- reductive
- deductive
Questions about saying productive
How do you pronounce productive?
Say pruh-DUHK-tiv. The American pronunciation is /prəˈdʌktɪv/. In British English it is /prəˈdʌktɪv/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in productive?
Productive has three syllables, and the main stress falls on the second one (DUHK). Broken into parts: pruh · DUHK · tiv.
Do Americans and Brits say productive the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /prəˈdʌktɪv/ and the British form is /prəˈdʌktɪv/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.