How to pronounce silicon
Say it like SIL-uh-kun. Silicon has three syllables, and the main stress falls on the first one (SIL).
Click the play button next to American or British to hear how to pronounce silicon. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- SIL
- uh
- kun
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Silicon pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- SILSay 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.
- kunKeep this part quick and light. The vowel is the relaxed "uh" in about.
American vs British pronunciation of silicon
American and British speakers say silicon in essentially the same way: /ˈsɪləkən/ in the US and /ˈsɪlɪkən/ in the UK.
British respelling: SIL-ih-kun.
What does silicon mean?
- a tetravalent nonmetallic element; next to oxygen it is the most abundant element in the earth's crust; occurs in clay and feldspar and granite and quartz and sand; used as a semiconductor in transistors
Where does silicon come from?
Coined by Scottish chemist Thomas Thomson as a modification of the earlier name silicium, from the stem of Latin silex (“flint, silica”) + -on from carbon.
Similar and opposite words
Similar meaning
Questions about saying silicon
How do you pronounce silicon?
Say SIL-uh-kun. The American pronunciation is /ˈsɪləkən/. In British English it is /ˈsɪlɪkən/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in silicon?
Silicon has three syllables, and the main stress falls on the first one (SIL). Broken into parts: SIL · uh · kun.
Do Americans and Brits say silicon the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /ˈsɪləkən/ and the British form is /ˈsɪlɪkən/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.