English pronunciation · Words Starting with P
Penitentiary Pronunciation
Penitentiary is pronounced pe-ni-TEN-cher-ee, IPA /ˌpɛnɪˈtɛntʃɝi/.
pe-ni-TEN-cher-ee
US /ˌpɛnɪˈtɛntʃɝi/ · UK /ˌpɛnɪˈtɛnʃjəri/
Syllables: pe · ni · TEN · cher · ee (5 syllables, stress on syllable 3)
noun: A prison, especially a state or federal one in the United States.
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Penitentiary in a Sentence
- He served six years in a federal penitentiary.
- The old penitentiary is a museum now.
- Penitentiary records here go back to 1878.
Common Mispronunciations of Penitentiary
Not pe-ni-TEN-shuh-ree
Americans fuse the tia into cher, giving TEN-cher-ee, while British speakers hold the sh. The dictionaries list both.
Not PE-ni-ten-cher-ee
Penitence, which this word grew out of, stresses its own opening; adding the long ending moves the weight to TEN.
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