English pronunciation · Words Starting with P
Positive Pronunciation
Positive is pronounced PAH-zuh-tiv, IPA /ˈpɑzətɪv/.
PAH-zuh-tiv
US /ˈpɑzətɪv/ · UK /ˈpɒzɪˌtɪv/
Syllables: PAH · zuh · tiv (3 syllables, stress on syllable 1)
adjective: Confident and hopeful, or confirming that something is present.
Audio for the American and British pronunciations plays on this page with JavaScript enabled.
Positive in a Sentence
- Try to stay positive until we hear back.
- The test came back positive on Thursday.
- I am positive I locked the door.
Common Mispronunciations of Positive
Not poh-ZI-tiv
PAH holds the beat and the two behind it stay quiet. Positivity is the relative that drags the weight along the word.
Not PAH-zuh-teev
An -itive ending closes on a short tiv. Stretching it to teev borrows a French habit this word never had.
Tip: Americans open on the ah of hot and southern English speakers on a rounder o, and both then run the same way.
More words starting with p · Every word in the pronunciation guide