How to pronounce spacetime
Say it like SPAY-styme. Spacetime has two syllables, and the main stress falls on the first one (SPAY).
Click the play button next to American or British to hear how to pronounce spacetime. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- SPAY
- styme
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Spacetime pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- SPAYSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "ay" in day.
- stymeGive this part a little weight. The vowel is the "i" in time.
American vs British pronunciation of spacetime
American and British speakers say spacetime in essentially the same way: /ˈspeɪˌstaɪm/ in the US and /ˈspeɪˌstaɪm/ in the UK.
British respelling: SPAY-styme.
What does spacetime mean?
- The four-dimensional continuum of the three spatial dimensions plus time.“An event is a point in spacetime, specified by the coordinates x, y, z, and t.”
- An n-dimensional continuum consisting of dimensions of both space and time. Normally spacetime is considered as having 4 dimensions (x, y, z, t), but higher-dimensional spacetimes are often encountered in theoretical physics, e.g. the 5-dimensional spacetime of Kaluza-Klein theory or the 11 dimensio“a Minkowski spacetime”
- A specific region of the universe with mathematically different properties than the surrounding spacetime. Synonymous with "metric" within the context of general relativity.“a Schwarzschild spacetime”
Where does spacetime come from?
From space + time, as a calque of German Raumzeit, introduced in this sense by Hermann Minkowski.
Questions about saying spacetime
How do you pronounce spacetime?
Say SPAY-styme. The American pronunciation is /ˈspeɪˌstaɪm/. In British English it is /ˈspeɪˌstaɪm/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in spacetime?
Spacetime has two syllables, and the main stress falls on the first one (SPAY). Broken into parts: SPAY · styme.
Do Americans and Brits say spacetime the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /ˈspeɪˌstaɪm/ and the British form is /ˈspeɪˌstaɪm/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.