Cyanobacterium

Phonetically it’s /ˌsaɪ.ə.noʊ.bækˈtɪr.i.əm/ (US) or /ˌsʌɜːˈnəʊ.bækˈtɪəri.əm/ (UK) depending on accent. Stress is on the fourth syllable: -bac-TA-? or -bækˈtɪr- depending on variant, but a natural emphasis lands on the -tɪr- segment. Break it as cy-a-no-bac-te-ri-um with clear separations: cy-AN-oh-bak-TEER-ee-əm. You’ll hear the strongest emphasis on the “tɪr” syllable in most scientific readings.

Common errors include misplacing the primary stress on the wrong syllable, mispronouncing the -bækt- as -bakt- with reduced vowel, and slurring the -ri- in -rium. To correct: practice cy-AN-o-BAK-te-ri-um with even, deliberate transitions; keep the -tɪr- cluster clear rather than merging it with -i-; and pronounce the final -um as -əm, not -oom or -oom.

US tends to emphasize cy-AN-o-bak-TEER-ee-əm with rhotic r and clear final schwa; UK may reduce some vowel lengths and pronounce -tɪ- more crisply as -tɪə- in some readings; AU often merges certain vowels, with a broader vowel quality in the first syllables and a non-rhotic approach in careful readings. Overall, the -bækˈtɪr- portion remains a focal stress area across accents.

It combines several multisyllabic elements with multiple consonant clusters: cy-a-no-bac-te-ri-um. The tricky parts are the -bækt- cluster and the -ri- syllable transition, plus keeping the long 'i' sound in -o- with the 'cy' leading syllable. Also, the ending -um often becomes a light, unstressed -əm in fast speech. Slow down and segment to avoid slurring.

The prefix cyan is pronounced with a long i sound /ˈsaɪ-/ (long i) as in ‘cyan’ and ‘sinus.’ In cyanobacterium it begins the word with /ˈsaɪ.əc/ leading to the sequence /ˈsaɪ.ə.noʊ/. The long i at the start helps signal the word boundary and aligns with common scientific terms beginning cy- with a long i.