English pronunciation · Words Starting with P
Phantom Pronunciation
Phantom is pronounced FAN-tuhm, IPA /ˈfænəm/.
FAN-tuhm
US /ˈfænəm/ · UK /ˈfɑːntəm/
Syllables: FAN · tuhm (2 syllables, stress on syllable 1)
noun: A ghost, or something that appears to exist but does not.
Audio for the American and British pronunciations plays on this page with JavaScript enabled.
Phantom in a Sentence
- He woke convinced a phantom had crossed the landing.
- The ache in her missing hand was a phantom, and it hurt all the same.
- Reports of a phantom bidder turned out to be nonsense.
Common Mispronunciations of Phantom
Not PAN-tuhm
Those opening two letters stand for an f, as they do in phone and physics. A plain p leaves something that is not an English word at all.
Not FAN-tom
No round o survives at the close. What comes out is a quick uh, the ending bottom and custom also take.
Tip: American speech normally drops the t, giving FA-nuhm. British dictionaries keep it and open on a long ah instead.
More words starting with p · Every word in the pronunciation guide