English pronunciation · Words Starting with G
Genius Pronunciation
Genius is pronounced JEE-nyuhs, IPA /ˈdʒinjəs/.
JEE-nyuhs
US /ˈdʒinjəs/ · UK /ˈdʒiːnɪəs/
Syllables: JEE · nyuhs (2 syllables, stress on syllable 1)
noun: Exceptional natural ability, or a person who has it.
Audio for the American and British pronunciations plays on this page with JavaScript enabled.
Genius in a Sentence
- The timing of the joke was pure genius.
- She has a genius for getting people to agree.
- He was called a genius long before anyone read the work.
Common Mispronunciations of Genius
Not JE-nee-uhs
The first vowel is long, the ee of green, which keeps the word apart from genus.
Not GEE-nee-uhs
American speech runs it to two beats, JEE then nyuhs, while British dictionaries print three.
Tip: The plural is geniuses in ordinary English, and genii survives only for the spirits of lamps.
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