2 syllables: A, cid. Stress on A.
AS-uhd
/ˈæsəd/
Acid is pronounced AS-uhd (/ˈæsəd/). It has two syllables (A-cid), with the stress on "A". Acid is a substance with a sour taste and the ability to turn blue litmus paper red. In everyday language it also describes sharp, biting remarks or opinions. As a chemical term, it denotes a class of compounds that donate protons or accept electrons in reactions, commonly producing hydrogen ions in solution.
nounAcid is a substance with a sour taste and the ability to turn blue litmus paper red. In everyday language it also describes sharp, biting remarks or opinions. As a chemical term, it denotes a class of compounds that donate protons or accept electrons in reactions, commonly producing hydrogen ions in solution.
How to Pronounce Acid
"The chemist added acid to the solution and it started fizzing."
"Her acid critique left me rethinking my approach."
"Citric acid is found in citrus fruits and adds brightness to drinks."
Acid is pronounced with a stressed first syllable: /ˈæs.ɪd/. Start with a short, open front vowel in 'æ' as in 'cat,' then move to a light /ɪ/ in the second syllable, ending with /d/. The mouth opens slightly for the first vowel, teeth are close for /s/ or produce a light /s/ before the /ɪ/. Think ‘AS-id’ with equal syllable weight.
Common errors include turning the first syllable into a longer ‘ay’ sound (like ‘ace-id’) or flattening the second syllable into a schwa (/ə/). To correct: keep the first syllable as /æ/ with a sharp /s/ transition, and end clearly with /d/ rather than a voiced or nasal sound. Practice crisp /s/ followed by /ɪ/ and a final /d/ while keeping the stress on the first syllable.
In US/UK, the initial vowel remains /æ/ but may be slightly tenser in British speech due to vowel reduction in connected speech. The /s/ is a clear sibilant in all, and the final /d/ is voiceless at the end of a stressed word. Australian speakers often have a slightly higher tongue position for the /æ/ might sound closer to /e/ in rapid speech; the rhythm remains trochaic across dialects.
The challenge is maintaining a crisp, short /æ/ before /s/ and avoiding a flapped or tapped /d/ at the end. Many learners insert a vowel sound after /æ/ or merge /s/ with /d/. The two-syllable rhythm with strong first syllable can be slippery in rapid speech. Focus on keeping the /æ/ distinct, then transitioning quickly to /s/ and final /d/ for a clean, stressed word.
The unique aspect is the clean separation between the /s/ and the following /ɪ/. Some speakers inadvertently voice the /s/ a bit too strongly or push the /ɪ/ into a reduced vowel when spoken quickly. Practicing with a minimal pair like ‘ass-id’ (as in ‘ass’ and ‘id’), with a clear boundary between /s/ and /ɪ/, helps cement the correct flow and prevents a blended, slurred ending.
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US: /ˈæs.ɪd/ with strong r-lessness and crisp /s/ before /ɪ/. UK: /ˈæs.ɪd/ similar, but more clipped, slightly higher vowel in /æ/. AU: /ˈæs.ɪd/ tends to be even more clipped; avoid elongating the first vowel; maintain a clear boundary between /s/ and /ɪ/ due to faster connected speech. Across accents, the rhotics do not affect this word, but the vowel quality in /æ/ can shift slightly depending on your dialect; keep it short and bright in all. IPA: US/UK/AU identical in this word; the main difference is rhythm and vowel length in connected speech.
The word acid comes from the Latin acidus, meaning ‘sour, sharp,’ which itself derives from acer ‘sharp, sour.’ In ancient chemistry, Arab and European scholars used acid to describe sour-tasting substances, especially citric and acetic acids. The modern chemical sense began to crystallize in the 16th–17th centuries as alchemists and early chemists identified acids as substances that turn blue litmus red and release hydrogen ions in aqueous solutions. The term’s breadth expanded with Arrhenius’s definition in the late 19th century—acids donate protons (H+) in reactions, bases accept them. First known use in English is attested in the 14th century with the sense of sourness, later shifting to chemical usage as laboratory science advanced. Today, ‘acid’ operates in two broad realms: everyday descriptors for sour flavors or biting remarks, and precise chemical categories including mineral, organic, and inorganic acids. The word retains the core idea of sharpness—whether taste, reaction, or tone—rooted in its Latin origin and reinforced by scientific development across centuries.
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Words that rhyme with "Acid"
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