How to pronounce "elixir" in English
ɪˈlɪk.sər
ih·LIK·sər
Primary stress: LIK
Hear native speakers say elixir in context across real video clips
symbolizing immortality. Elixir of life is the water of immortality, whose name has been mentioned many times in historical narratives. whose name has been mentioned many times in historical narratives.
Linguistic Pronunciation Masterclass: “elixir”
Phonetic mechanics, syllable architecture, and conversational cadence
Syllable Architecture & Stress Distribution
ih
Neutral schwa (⁄ə⁄): relaxed jaw, brief unstressed breath.
LIK
Elevated pitch, sustained vowel length, and full acoustic clarity.
sər
Neutral schwa (⁄ə⁄): relaxed jaw, brief unstressed breath.
Primary emphasis falls on the second syllable ("LIK"). Raise your pitch and sustain the vowel length on this syllable while relaxing the surrounding syllables.
Common Pronunciation Traps & Learner Mistakes
The Trap: Avoid pronouncing every vowel with full acoustic weight. Non-native speakers often over-enunciate unstressed vowels.
How Native Speakers Say It: Only give full vowel clarity to the primary stressed syllable. Relax all unstressed vowels into a neutral, low-energy schwa (⁄ə⁄).
Connected Speech & Natural Conversational Flow
When "elixir" is followed by a word starting with a vowel, glide the final consonant into the opening vowel (e.g. "elixir is" sounds like "elixir-iz").
Maintain the stress-timed rhythm of English: compress unstressed syllables rapidly so the beat of "elixir" aligns naturally with adjacent words.
Authentic Spoken Quotes from Native Video Context
“Elixir of life is the water of immortality, whose name has been mentioned many times in historical narratives.”— TEDx TalksWatch clip
“The elixir instantly sobered him up, and suddenly Sun Wukong knew he’d gone too far.”— TED-EdWatch clip
“tasted the elixir of the success of eradicating a disease, wanted to do it again.”— TEDWatch clip
“wished to discover an elixir for eternal life, transform cheap metals like lead into gold, or create a drug that could treat all illnesses.”— YaleCoursesWatch clip
“But before this deadly elixir was concocted, sulfanilamide had a good rep as an effective drug all on its own.”— SciShowWatch clip
“of an elixir of life or a fountain of youth or something that promises to keep us going forever.”— Native SpeakerWatch clip
Practice Speaking “elixir”
Listen to native pronunciation, record yourself repeating the sentence into your microphone, and receive real-time word-by-word accuracy scoring.
Elixir of life is the water of immortality, whose name has been mentioned many times in historical narratives.
Hear it in context: “elixir”
166 clipsThe English word “elixir” is transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) as ɪˈlɪk.sər (phonetic respelling: ih-LIK-sər). Phonologically, it consists of 3 syllables (ih · LIK · sər), with primary lexical stress placed on the 2nd syllable (LIK). Grammatically, “elixir” functions as a noun. SayItVid indexes 166 authentic English video clips demonstrating how native speakers articulate “elixir” in natural connected speech across American (US: 8 sampled), British (UK), and Australian (AUS) accents, including verified broadcasts from TEDx Talks, TED-Ed, TED.
Spoken Video Transcripts & Contextual Quotes (5 Verified Clips)
- 🇺🇸 USTEDx TalksClip #1 · @0:31
“symbolizing immortality. Elixir of life is the water of immortality, whose name has been mentioned many times in historical narratives. whose name has been mentioned many times in historical narratives.”
- 🇺🇸 USTED-EdClip #2 · @3:23
“but soon he was surrounded by empty vessels. The elixir instantly sobered him up, and suddenly Sun Wukong knew he’d gone too far. and suddenly Sun Wukong knew he’d gone too far.”
- 🇺🇸 USTEDClip #3 · @11:42
“who, having climbed the highest mountain, tasted the elixir of the success of eradicating a disease, wanted to do it again. wanted to do it again.”
- 🇺🇸 USYaleCoursesClip #4 · @1:56
“and theology were often combined, and research was usually guided by beliefs. Many alchemists wished to discover an elixir for eternal life, transform cheap metals like lead into gold, or create a drug that could treat all illnesses. However, much like the Philosopher s Stone from or create a drug that could treat all illnesses. However, much like the Philosopher s Stone from”
- 🇺🇸 USSciShowClip #5 · @0:33
“the S. E. Massengill Company of Tennessee in 1937. But before this deadly elixir was concocted, sulfanilamide had a good rep as an effective drug all on its own. Sulfanilamide is an antibiotic, so it’s drug all on its own. Sulfanilamide is an antibiotic, so it’s”
Definition & Meaning: “elixir”
- A liquid which converts lead to gold.
- A substance or liquid which is believed to cure all ills and give eternal life.
Example Sentences (3)
- “For Chinese alchemists, gold held the key to the Elixir, the Eastern equivalent of the Philosopher's Stone.”
- “Elixir of life is the water of immortality, whose name has been mentioned many times in historical narratives.”
- “The elixir instantly sobered him up, and suddenly Sun Wukong knew he’d gone too far.”
Common Phrases & Collocations
Pronounce: “elixir”
- Pronunciation:
- ih-LIK-sər
- Syllables:
- ih · LIK · sər
- Written Hyphenation:
- e · lix · ir
- Primary stress:
- LIK
- IPA:
- ɪˈlɪk.sər
- Hear it in context
- elixir
Words that Rhyme with “elixir”
-ɪksərWords that Sound Identical (Homophones)
Unique Sound"elixir" (⁄ɪˈlɪk.sər⁄) 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, "elixir" has a completely distinct phonetic identity.
Frequently asked questions about elixir
How do you pronounce “elixir”?
“elixir” is pronounced ⁄ɪˈlɪk.sər⁄ (ih-LIK-sər). Listen to the native-speaker clips above to hear it in real conversation.
How many syllables are in “elixir”?
“elixir” has 3 syllables: ih · LIK · sər.
Where is the stress in “elixir”?
The primary stress in “elixir” is on “LIK”. Listen for that stressed syllable in the clips above.
What does “elixir” mean?
A liquid which converts lead to gold.
How can I hear “elixir” used in real sentences?
This page has 166 real-world video examples of “elixir” 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 “elixir”?
Avoid pronouncing every vowel with full acoustic weight. Non-native speakers often over-enunciate unstressed vowels. Only give full vowel clarity to the primary stressed syllable. Relax all unstressed vowels into a neutral, low-energy schwa (⁄ə⁄).