---
title: "How to pronounce dichotomy | Murmur"
description: "Check dichotomy pronunciation with CMUdict sound tokens and stress, then practise two original sentences and download a voiceover audition worksheet."
canonical: "https://www.murmurtts.com/pronunciation/dichotomy"
---
[Murmur](https://www.murmurtts.com/)/[Pronunciation](https://www.murmurtts.com/pronunciation)/dichotomy

PRONUNCIATION / Science and learning

# How to pronounce dichotomy

Check dichotomy pronunciation with CMUdict sound tokens and stress, then practise two original sentences and download a voiceover audition worksheet.

## The dictionary sound sequence

CMUdict lists this North American English pronunciation for **dichotomy**. Read each sequence from left to right. The numbers mark vowel stress: **1** primary, **2** secondary, **0** unstressed.

Dictionary variant 1

`D AY0 K AA1 T AH0 M IY0`

**Syllable estimate**

4 vowel nuclei

**Primary stress**

2nd vowel position

[Check dichotomy in Merriam-Webster and listen to available dictionary audio](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dichotomy).

Syllable counts come from vowel tokens; CMUdict does not supply syllable boundaries here. Variant order follows the dictionary and does not rank correctness. This lexicon does not represent every accent or context.

## Use dichotomy in context

Dichotomy describes a division into two contrasting parts or categories. Essays and lectures often use it to frame an argument, but the usefulness of the division needs explanation. A narrator should name both sides clearly and preserve any later qualification that challenges the apparent simplicity of the split.

1. The lecture questions the dichotomy between work and leisure.
2. A false dichotomy made the proposal sound more restrictive than it was.

### A practice cue

Audition dichotomy together with both sides of the comparison. Listen for balanced emphasis and a natural pause before any qualification, so the generated reading does not make a disputed division sound more settled than the script intends.

## Read the sound tokens

Each example word below is a cue for the named sound, rather than a respelling of dichotomy. Unstressed vowels may sound reduced. These cues follow the [CMU phoneme-set key (Appendix A)](https://www.cs.cmu.edu/~aria/Papers/MastersThesis.pdf#page=115).

`D`sound in **dee**consonant`AY`sound in **hide**vowel`K`sound in **key**consonant`AA`sound in **odd**vowel`T`sound in **tea**consonant`AH`sound in **hut**vowel`M`sound in **me**consonant`IY`sound in **eat**vowel

TAKE IT TO YOUR NEXT RECORDING

## Make an audition worksheet

Select a dictionary variant for your checklist. The two original sentences retain their normal spelling; this worksheet helps you review a recording rather than forcing a speech engine to use phonemes.

Copying and downloading happen in your browser. No script upload or audio generation is needed.

## Dictionary source

The phonemes on this page come from [CMU Pronouncing Dictionary](https://github.com/cmusphinx/cmudict/blob/74790861f652b15e4ac49015a90074ad62a27690/cmudict.dict). The dictionary maintainers acknowledge that errors and omissions can remain; check another source or a speaker when the pronunciation matters.

[CMUdict README](https://github.com/cmusphinx/cmudict/blob/74790861f652b15e4ac49015a90074ad62a27690/README) · [Included dictionary license](https://www.murmurtts.com/downloads/cmudict-license.txt)

Source version and checksum

Commit: `74790861f652b15e4ac49015a90074ad62a27690`

Dictionary SHA-256: `81917843c7f44ce2b094ac63873c2c7a4cf802040792c455ba3ca406891c3d22`

## Keep practising

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[Build a pronunciation test suite for local TTS](https://www.murmurtts.com/blog/pronunciation-test-suite-local-tts) · [Browse all word references](https://www.murmurtts.com/pronunciation)

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## Check the word in a real voiceover.

Murmur generates speech locally on Apple Silicon Macs. Try your audition sentences with your chosen model and voice, listen for pronunciation, and review the result before exporting. A dictionary sequence does not guarantee a model’s output.

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