How to pronounce "eighteenth century" in English
ˌeɪˈtiːnθˌsɛn.tʃə.ri
ay·TEENTH·sen·chə·ree
Primary stress: TEENTH
Hear native speakers say eighteenth century in context across real video clips
a good hundred years or so. But at some point in the eighteenth century, the masque seemed informally to acquire an alternative title, Comus, and it's as Comus that all readers since informally to acquire an alternative title,
Linguistic Pronunciation Masterclass: “eighteenth century”
Phonetic mechanics, syllable architecture, and conversational cadence
Syllable Architecture & Stress Distribution
ay
Neutral schwa (⁄ə⁄): relaxed jaw, brief unstressed breath.
TEENTH
Gliding diphthong with sustained vocal resonance.
sen
Neutral schwa (⁄ə⁄): relaxed jaw, brief unstressed breath.
chə
Neutral schwa (⁄ə⁄): relaxed jaw, brief unstressed breath.
ree
Neutral schwa (⁄ə⁄): relaxed jaw, brief unstressed breath.
Primary emphasis falls on the second syllable ("TEENTH"). Raise your pitch and sustain the vowel length on this syllable while relaxing the surrounding syllables.
Common Pronunciation Traps & Learner Mistakes
The Trap: Many learners substitute "th" with "s", "z", "t", or "d".
How Native Speakers Say It: Place the flat blade of your tongue lightly between your upper and lower incisors. Blow air gently without vocal chord vibration to produce the unvoiced ⁄θ⁄ sound.
Connected Speech & Natural Conversational Flow
When "eighteenth century" is followed by a word starting with a vowel, glide the final consonant into the opening vowel (e.g. "eighteenth century is" sounds like "eighteenth century-iz").
Maintain the stress-timed rhythm of English: compress unstressed syllables rapidly so the beat of "eighteenth century" aligns naturally with adjacent words.
Authentic Spoken Quotes from Native Video Context
“eighteenth century, the masque seemed informally to acquire an alternative title, Comus, and it's as Comus that all readers since”— YaleCoursesWatch clip
“die back in the eighteenth century.”— Native SpeakerWatch clip
“eighteenth century. So, let's turn to what was going on there, to commerce, about which you've already read”— YaleCoursesWatch clip
“mid-eighteenth century. Renewed growth didn't start until the late eighteenth century.”— YaleCoursesWatch clip
“In eighteenth century France between a half and two-thirds of infants that were sent out to nurse died.”— YaleCoursesWatch clip
“eighteenth century. When you think of the real hotspots, the real trouble spots of the twentieth century,”— YaleCoursesWatch clip
Practice Speaking “eighteenth century”
Listen to native pronunciation, record yourself repeating the sentence into your microphone, and receive real-time word-by-word accuracy scoring.
eighteenth century, the masque seemed informally to acquire an alternative title, Comus, and it's as Comus that all readers since
Hear it in context: “eighteenth century”
367 clipsThe English word “eighteenth century” is transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) as ˌeɪˈtiːnθˌsɛn.tʃə.ri (phonetic respelling: ay-TEENTH-sen-chə-ree). Phonologically, it consists of 5 syllables (ay · TEENTH · sen · chə · ree), with primary lexical stress placed on the 2nd syllable (TEENTH). Grammatically, “eighteenth century” functions as a adjective. SayItVid indexes 367 authentic English video clips demonstrating how native speakers articulate “eighteenth century” in natural connected speech across American (US: 8 sampled), British (UK), and Australian (AUS) accents, including verified broadcasts from YaleCourses.
Spoken Video Transcripts & Contextual Quotes (5 Verified Clips)
- 🇺🇸 USYaleCoursesClip #1 · @22:01
“a good hundred years or so. But at some point in the eighteenth century, the masque seemed informally to acquire an alternative title, Comus, and it's as Comus that all readers since informally to acquire an alternative title,”
- 🇺🇸 USClip #2 · @53:55
“generally held that Malthus was wrong. Why, because he predicted we were all going to die back in the eighteenth century. He thought that we were going to outrun the food sources with our population and that nothing could stop a head long rush over the cliff. What with our population and that nothing could stop a head long rush over the cliff. What”
- 🇺🇸 USYaleCoursesClip #3 · @17:05
“seventeenth century and accelerating in the early eighteenth century. So, let's turn to what was going on there, to commerce, about which you've already read So, let's turn to what was going on there,”
- 🇺🇸 USYaleCoursesClip #4 · @2:25
“it was only about five and a half million by the mid-eighteenth century. Renewed growth didn't start until the late eighteenth century. Renewed growth didn't start until the late eighteenth”
- 🇺🇸 USYaleCoursesClip #5 · @23:57
“the death rate was about one in six at this time. In eighteenth century France between a half and two-thirds of infants that were sent out to nurse died. infants that were sent out to nurse died.”
Definition & Meaning: “eighteenth century”
- Relating to or characteristic of the 1700s, spanning the years 1701 to 1800.
Example Sentences (3)
- “The museum houses a remarkable collection of eighteenthcentury furniture.”
- “eighteenth century, the masque seemed informally to acquire an alternative title, Comus, and it's as Comus that all readers since”
- “die back in the eighteenth century. He thought that we were going to outrun the food sources with our population and that nothing could stop a head long rush ov”
Pronounce: “eighteenth century”
- Pronunciation:
- ay-TEENTH-sen-chə-ree
- Syllables:
- ay · TEENTH · sen · chə · ree
- Written Hyphenation:
- eigh · teenth · cen · tu · ry
- Primary stress:
- TEENTH
- IPA:
- ˌeɪˈtiːnθˌsɛn.tʃə.ri
- Hear it in context
- eighteenth century
Words that Sound Identical (Homophones)
Unique Sound"eighteenth century" (⁄ˌeɪˈtiːnθˌsɛn.tʃə.ri⁄) has no true homophones in standard English — there are no other words with identical pronunciation. Unlike sound-alike pairs like there / their or peace / piece, "eighteenth century" has a completely distinct phonetic identity.
Frequently asked questions about eighteenth century
How do you pronounce “eighteenth century”?
“eighteenth century” is pronounced ⁄ˌeɪˈtiːnθˌsɛn.tʃə.ri⁄ (ay-TEENTH-sen-chə-ree). Listen to the native-speaker clips above to hear it in real conversation.
How many syllables are in “eighteenth century”?
“eighteenth century” has 5 syllables: ay · TEENTH · sen · chə · ree.
Where is the stress in “eighteenth century”?
The primary stress in “eighteenth century” is on “TEENTH”. Listen for that stressed syllable in the clips above.
What does “eighteenth century” mean?
Relating to or characteristic of the 1700s, spanning the years 1701 to 1800.
How can I hear “eighteenth century” used in real sentences?
This page has 367 real-world video examples of “eighteenth century” with synchronized subtitles. Use Previous / Next (or ← / → keys) to hear each one at the exact moment it is spoken.
What is the most common pronunciation mistake when saying “eighteenth century”?
Many learners substitute "th" with "s", "z", "t", or "d". Place the flat blade of your tongue lightly between your upper and lower incisors. Blow air gently without vocal chord vibration to produce the unvoiced ⁄θ⁄ sound.