How to pronounce "selfdefeating" in English
ˌsɛlf.dɪˈfiː.tɪŋ
self·dih·FEE·ting
Primary stress: FEE
Hear native speakers say selfdefeating in context across real video clips
Linguistic Pronunciation Masterclass: “selfdefeating”
Phonetic mechanics, syllable architecture, and conversational cadence
Syllable Architecture & Stress Distribution
self
Reduced vowel sound, relaxed jaw, and minimal vocal effort.
dih
Reduced vowel sound, relaxed jaw, and minimal vocal effort.
FEE
Tense long vowel with sustained acoustic resonance.
ting
Reduced vowel sound, relaxed jaw, and minimal vocal effort.
Primary emphasis falls on the third syllable ("FEE"). 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 "selfdefeating" is followed by a word starting with a vowel, glide the final consonant into the opening vowel (e.g. "selfdefeating is" sounds like "selfdefeating-iz").
Maintain the stress-timed rhythm of English: compress unstressed syllables rapidly so the beat of "selfdefeating" aligns naturally with adjacent words.
Authentic Spoken Quotes from Native Video Context
“operatives, as you would have done, call it the kind of worst catchphrase in American political history, the most damaging, the most selfdefeating.”— Native SpeakerWatch clip
Practice Speaking “selfdefeating”
Listen to native pronunciation, record yourself repeating the sentence into your microphone, and receive real-time word-by-word accuracy scoring.
operatives, as you would have done, call it the kind of worst catchphrase in American political history, the most damaging, the most selfdefeating.
Hear it in context: “selfdefeating”
1 clipThe English word “selfdefeating” is transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) as ˌsɛlf.dɪˈfiː.tɪŋ (phonetic respelling: self-dih-FEE-ting). Phonologically, it consists of 4 syllables (self · dih · FEE · ting), with primary lexical stress placed on the 3rd syllable (FEE). Grammatically, “selfdefeating” functions as a adjective. SayItVid indexes 1 authentic English video clip demonstrating how native speakers articulate “selfdefeating” in natural connected speech across American (US: 1 sampled), British (UK), and Australian (AUS) accents.
Spoken Video Transcripts & Contextual Quotes (1 Verified Clips)
- 🇺🇸 USClip #1 · @15:16
“defund the police has a long shadow, doesn't it? I' I've heard Democratic operatives, as you would have done, call it the kind of worst catchphrase in American political history, the most damaging, the most selfdefeating. American political history, the most damaging, the most selfdefeating.”
Definition & Meaning: “selfdefeating”
- Acting or proceeding in a way that is contrary to one's own best interests or likely to frustrate one's own goals.
Example Sentences (2)
- “His constant procrastination proved to be entirely self-defeating when it came to meeting the project deadline.”
- “operatives, as you would have done, call it the kind of worst catchphrase in American political history, the most damaging, the most selfdefeating.”
Common Phrases & Collocations
Pronounce: “selfdefeating”
- Pronunciation:
- self-dih-FEE-ting
- Syllables:
- self · dih · FEE · ting
- Written Hyphenation:
- self · de · feat · ing
- Primary stress:
- FEE
- IPA:
- ˌsɛlf.dɪˈfiː.tɪŋ
- Hear it in context
- selfdefeating
Words that Rhyme with “selfdefeating”
-itɪŋWords that Sound Identical (Homophones)
Unique Sound"selfdefeating" (⁄ˌsɛlf.dɪˈfiː.tɪŋ⁄) 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, "selfdefeating" has a completely distinct phonetic identity.
Frequently asked questions about selfdefeating
How do you pronounce “selfdefeating”?
“selfdefeating” is pronounced ⁄ˌsɛlf.dɪˈfiː.tɪŋ⁄ (self-dih-FEE-ting). Listen to the native-speaker clips above to hear it in real conversation.
How many syllables are in “selfdefeating”?
“selfdefeating” has 4 syllables: self · dih · FEE · ting.
Where is the stress in “selfdefeating”?
The primary stress in “selfdefeating” is on “FEE”. Listen for that stressed syllable in the clips above.
What does “selfdefeating” mean?
Acting or proceeding in a way that is contrary to one's own best interests or likely to frustrate one's own goals.
How can I hear “selfdefeating” used in real sentences?
This page has 1 real-world video example of “selfdefeating” 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 “selfdefeating”?
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].