English pronunciation · Words Starting with P
Pennsylvania Pronunciation
Pennsylvania is pronounced pen-suhl-VAY-nyuh, IPA /ˌpɛnsəlˈveɪnjə/.
pen-suhl-VAY-nyuh
US /ˌpɛnsəlˈveɪnjə/
Syllables: pen · suhl · VAY · nyuh (4 syllables, stress on syllable 3)
proper noun: The state in the north eastern United States whose largest city is Philadelphia.
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Pennsylvania in a Sentence
- Pennsylvania was one of the thirteen original colonies.
- They drove across Pennsylvania in a single day.
- The Pennsylvania state capital is Harrisburg.
Common Mispronunciations of Pennsylvania
Not pen-SIL-vay-nee-uh
Weight belongs on VAY, the third syllable. Putting it on SIL also stretches a syllable that should stay weak.
Not pen-suhl-VAY-nee-uh
Ordinary speech compresses the ending to nyuh, so the name runs to four syllables. The spelled out version is not wrong, only slower.
Tip: Four syllables: pen-suhl-VAY-nyuh. Despite the spelling, the second syllable has no clear i in it.
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