How to pronounce "undulatory" in English
un·du·la·to·ry
Hear native speakers say undulatory in context across real video clips
Linguistic Pronunciation Masterclass: “undulatory”
Phonetic mechanics, syllable architecture, and conversational cadence
Syllable Architecture & Stress Distribution
un
Reduced vowel sound, relaxed jaw, and minimal vocal effort.
du
Reduced vowel sound, relaxed jaw, and minimal vocal effort.
la
Reduced vowel sound, relaxed jaw, and minimal vocal effort.
to
Reduced vowel sound, relaxed jaw, and minimal vocal effort.
ry
Reduced vowel sound, relaxed jaw, and minimal vocal effort.
Keep the vowel length balanced, placing subtle emphasis on the root morpheme according to standard conversational rhythm.
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 "undulatory" is followed by a word starting with a vowel, glide the final consonant into the opening vowel (e.g. "undulatory is" sounds like "undulatory-iz").
Maintain the stress-timed rhythm of English: compress unstressed syllables rapidly so the beat of "undulatory" aligns naturally with adjacent words.
Authentic Spoken Quotes from Native Video Context
“But these walking fish still use undulatory locomotion, the side to side swim you see in most fish families.”— SciShowWatch clip
“but they also swim with this undulatory movement.”— WIREDWatch clip
“It’s called undulatory locomotion, the way that most fish get around.”— SciShowWatch clip
“The way most people see snakes when you see them moving and slithering really fast, that's called undulatory movement.”— WIREDWatch clip
“It is widely thought that four-limbed land animals evolved their ability to walk starting from that fishy undulatory movement, with species shifting to more direct limb control over time.”— SciShowWatch clip
Practice Speaking “undulatory”
Listen to native pronunciation, record yourself repeating the sentence into your microphone, and receive real-time word-by-word accuracy scoring.
But these walking fish still use undulatory locomotion, the side to side swim you see in most fish families.
Hear it in context: “undulatory”
5 clipsThe English word “undulatory”. Phonologically, it consists of 5 syllables (un · du · la · to · ry). Grammatically, “undulatory” functions as a adjective. SayItVid indexes 5 authentic English video clips demonstrating how native speakers articulate “undulatory” in natural connected speech across American (US: 5 sampled), British (UK), and Australian (AUS) accents, including verified broadcasts from SciShow, WIRED.
Spoken Video Transcripts & Contextual Quotes (5 Verified Clips)
- 🇺🇸 USSciShowClip #1 · @2:12
“red-lipped batfish, that also prefer to stroll along on limb-like fins. But these walking fish still use undulatory locomotion, the side to side swim you see in most fish families. the side to side swim you see in most fish families.”
- 🇺🇸 USWIREDClip #2 · @13:06
“to pull themselves forward, but they also swim with this undulatory movement. They can glide.”
- 🇺🇸 USSciShowClip #3 · @1:02
“Well it depends on a back-and-forth movement using muscles along the spine. It’s called undulatory locomotion, the way that most fish get around. However, there are some fishy exceptions, like skates and rays.”
- 🇺🇸 USWIREDClip #4 · @12:26
“They can swim and walk, but don't have legs or fins? WTF El Diablo." The way most people see snakes when you see them moving and slithering really fast, that's called undulatory movement. The way most people see snakes when you see them moving”
- 🇺🇸 USSciShowClip #5 · @2:30
“something about how ambulatory locomotion evolved. It is widely thought that four-limbed land animals evolved their ability to walk starting from that fishy undulatory movement, with species shifting to more direct limb control over time. ability to walk starting from that fishy undulatory movement,”
Definition & Meaning: “undulatory”
- That undulates, or that causes undulations
Example Sentences (3)
- “His body was contracted and bent towards them, and described an undulatory movement like that of a worm writhing.”
- “But these walking fish still use undulatory locomotion, the side to side swim you see in most fish families.”
- “but they also swim with this undulatory movement.”
Common Phrases & Collocations
Pronounce: “undulatory”
- Syllables:
- un · du · la · to · ry
- Hear it in context
- undulatory
Words that Sound Identical (Homophones)
Unique Sound"undulatory" 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, "undulatory" has a completely distinct phonetic identity.
Frequently asked questions about undulatory
How many syllables are in “undulatory”?
“undulatory” has 5 syllables: un · du · la · to · ry.
What does “undulatory” mean?
That undulates, or that causes undulations
How can I hear “undulatory” used in real sentences?
This page has 5 real-world video examples of “undulatory” 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 “undulatory”?
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].