English pronunciation · Words Starting with A
Arcana Pronunciation
Arcana is pronounced ahr-KA-nuh, IPA /ɑrˈkænə/.
ahr-KA-nuh
US /ɑrˈkænə/ · UK /ɑːˈkɑːnə/
Syllables: ahr · KA · nuh (3 syllables, stress on syllable 2)
noun (plural): Secrets or mysteries understood by only a few, and the two halves of a tarot pack.
Audio for the American and British pronunciations plays on this page with JavaScript enabled.
Arcana in a Sentence
- He loves the arcana of parliamentary procedure.
- The major arcana are the twenty-two picture cards.
- Tax law has arcana that even accountants avoid.
Common Mispronunciations of Arcana
Not AHR-kuh-nuh
Arcane carries its beat on the second half, and the plural noun built from the same root carries it there too.
Not ahr-KAY-nuh
The stressed vowel in American speech is the flat a of can, where arcane stretches to a long ay.
Tip: One card is an arcanum; British dictionaries also give ahr-KAH-nuh with the broad ah.
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