English pronunciation · Words Starting with A

Autonomous Pronunciation

Autonomous is pronounced aw-TAH-nuh-muhs, IPA /ɔˈtɑnəməs/.

aw-TAH-nuh-muhs

US /ɔˈtɑnəməs/  ·  UK /ɔːˈtɒnəməs/

Syllables: aw · TAH · nuh · muhs (4 syllables, stress on syllable 2)

adjective: Acting independently, or governing itself.

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Autonomous in a Sentence

  • The region has been autonomous since 1948.
  • Autonomous vehicles still struggle with roadworks.
  • Each team is autonomous within an agreed budget.

Common Mispronunciations of Autonomous

Not AW-tuh-noh-muhs

The prefix auto- keeps no beat of its own here. The second part, TAH, takes it.

Not aw-toh-NOH-muhs

Both o sounds after the beat reduce to uh. Keeping them full stretches the word into four equal thumps.

Tip: The noun autonomy has the same shape, aw-TAH-nuh-mee, so if one is solid the other follows.

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