How to pronounce "hypotenuses" in English
hy·PO·te·nu·ses
Primary stress: po
Hear native speakers say hypotenuses in context across real video clips
Linguistic Pronunciation Masterclass: “hypotenuses”
Phonetic mechanics, syllable architecture, and conversational cadence
Syllable Architecture & Stress Distribution
hy
Reduced vowel sound, relaxed jaw, and minimal vocal effort.
PO
Elevated pitch, sustained vowel length, and full acoustic clarity.
te
Reduced vowel sound, relaxed jaw, and minimal vocal effort.
nu
Reduced vowel sound, relaxed jaw, and minimal vocal effort.
ses
Reduced vowel sound, relaxed jaw, and minimal vocal effort.
Primary emphasis falls on the second syllable ("PO"). Raise your pitch and sustain the vowel length on this syllable while relaxing the surrounding syllables.
Common Pronunciation Traps & Learner Mistakes
The Trap: Pronouncing a hard, aspirated [tʰ] in casual conversation can sound overly formal in North America.
How Native Speakers Say It: In American English, a single "t" between vowels quickly taps against the alveolar ridge like a soft "d" ([ɾ]). In British English, maintain a crisp aspirated [tʰ].
Connected Speech & Natural Conversational Flow
When "hypotenuses" is followed by a word starting with a vowel, glide the final consonant into the opening vowel (e.g. "hypotenuses is" sounds like "hypotenuses-iz").
Maintain the stress-timed rhythm of English: compress unstressed syllables rapidly so the beat of "hypotenuses" aligns naturally with adjacent words.
Authentic Spoken Quotes from Native Video Context
“So they all have the same exact angle, so at minimum, they are similar, and their hypotenuses are the same.”— Khan AcademyWatch clip
“Arrange them so that their hypotenuses form a tilted square.”— TED-EdWatch clip
“And that'll relate-- so the hypotenuses involve d.”— MIT OpenCourseWareWatch clip
“All of the hypot-- I don't know what the plural of hypotenuse is, hypoteni, hypotenuses.”— Khan AcademyWatch clip
“So here, let's look at the hypotenuses.”— MIT OpenCourseWareWatch clip
“Clearly AB and DE are still the hypotenuses-- hypoteni.”— Khan AcademyWatch clip
Practice Speaking “hypotenuses”
Listen to native pronunciation, record yourself repeating the sentence into your microphone, and receive real-time word-by-word accuracy scoring.
So they all have the same exact angle, so at minimum, they are similar, and their hypotenuses are the same.
Hear it in context: “hypotenuses”
17 clipsThe English word “hypotenuses”. Phonologically, it consists of 5 syllables (hy · po · te · nu · ses), with primary lexical stress placed on the 2nd syllable (po). Grammatically, “hypotenuses” functions as a noun. SayItVid indexes 17 authentic English video clips demonstrating how native speakers articulate “hypotenuses” in natural connected speech across American (US: 8 sampled), British (UK), and Australian (AUS) accents, including verified broadcasts from Khan Academy, TED-Ed, MIT OpenCourseWare.
Spoken Video Transcripts & Contextual Quotes (5 Verified Clips)
- 🇺🇸 USKhan AcademyClip #1 · @3:12
“the three angles are theta, 90 minus theta, and 90 degrees. So they all have the same exact angle, so at minimum, they are similar, and their hypotenuses are the same. so at minimum, they are similar, and their hypotenuses”
- 🇺🇸 USTED-EdClip #2 · @2:22
“and hypotenuse length c. Arrange them so that their hypotenuses form a tilted square. The area of that square is c².”
- 🇺🇸 USMIT OpenCourseWareClip #3 · @7:40
“is equal to the ratio of these legs. And that'll relate-- so the hypotenuses involve d. And the vertical legs, well, one of them is just constant”
- 🇺🇸 USKhan AcademyClip #4 · @1:58
“of their hypotenuse. All of the hypot-- I don't know what the plural of hypotenuse is, hypoteni, hypotenuses. is, hypoteni, hypotenuses.”
- 🇺🇸 USMIT OpenCourseWareClip #5 · @8:08
“So what is the similar triangle? So here, let's look at the hypotenuses. So the big hypotenuse has length 20,”
Definition & Meaning: “hypotenuses”
- A common variant or misspelling of hypotenuse, the longest side of a right-angled triangle opposite the right angle.
Example Sentences (3)
- “He calculated the length of the hypotenus using the Pythagorean theorem.”
- “So they all have the same exact angle, so at minimum, they are similar, and their hypotenuses are the same.”
- “Arrange them so that their hypotenuses form a tilted square.”
Common Phrases & Collocations
Pronounce: “hypotenuses”
- Syllables:
- hy · po · te · nu · ses
- Primary stress:
- po
- Hear it in context
- hypotenuses
Words that Sound Identical (Homophones)
Unique Sound"hypotenuses" 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, "hypotenuses" has a completely distinct phonetic identity.
Frequently asked questions about hypotenuses
How many syllables are in “hypotenuses”?
“hypotenuses” has 5 syllables: hy · po · te · nu · ses.
Where is the stress in “hypotenuses”?
The primary stress in “hypotenuses” is on “PO”. Listen for that stressed syllable in the clips above.
What does “hypotenuses” mean?
A common variant or misspelling of hypotenuse, the longest side of a right-angled triangle opposite the right angle.
How can I hear “hypotenuses” used in real sentences?
This page has 17 real-world video examples of “hypotenuses” 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 “hypotenuses”?
Pronouncing a hard, aspirated [tʰ] in casual conversation can sound overly formal in North America. In American English, a single "t" between vowels quickly taps against the alveolar ridge like a soft "d" ([ɾ]). In British English, maintain a crisp aspirated [tʰ].