4 syllables: Do, ne, pe, zil. Stress on ne.
doh-NEP-uh-zil
/doʊˈnɛpəzɪl/
Donepezil is pronounced doh-NEP-uh-zil (/doʊˈnɛpəzɪl/). It has four syllables (Do-ne-pe-zil), with the stress on "ne". Donepezil is a prescription cholinesterase inhibitor used to treat cognitive symptoms of Alzheimer's disease. It slows the breakdown of acetylcholine, potentially improving memory and thinking for a period. Primarily prescribed by specialists, its name is often encountered in medical contexts and patient education materials.
nounDonepezil is a prescription cholinesterase inhibitor used to treat cognitive symptoms of Alzheimer's disease. It slows the breakdown of acetylcholine, potentially improving memory and thinking for a period. Primarily prescribed by specialists, its name is often encountered in medical contexts and patient education materials.
- Look-for mistakes: misplacing stress to DO-NEP-eh-zil, mispronouncing 'nep' as 'nap' or 'nep-ee'. The correct mid-vowel is /ɛ/; keep the 'e' as a short 'eh' sound rather than 'ee'. - Ensure final -zil is not lengthened into -zill or -zil-l. The 'l' should be light and quickly released. - Don't add extra syllables; keep it to four syllables: do-ne-pe-zil. - Practice with IPA links and audio to feel the precise mouth positioning.
How to Pronounce Donepezil
"The patient was started on Donepezil to help manage mild-to-moderate Alzheimer’s symptoms."
"A pharmacist explained the dosing and potential side effects of Donepezil to the family."
"In the clinic, they reviewed how Donepezil can be taken at bedtime to reduce nausea."
Phonetically, say doʊ-NEP-i-zil with the primary stress on NEP (the second syllable). IPA: US doʊˈnɛpɪzəl, UK dəʊˈnɛpɪzɪl, AU ˈdəʊnɛpɪzɪl. Start with a long 'do' sound, then a crisp 'NEP' syllable, followed by a quick 'i' and 'zıl' ending. Keep the lips neutral for the first vowel and relax the jaw for the final syllable to avoid an overly tense 'zil'.”,
Common errors: (1) Misplacing the stress on the first syllable (do-NEP-uh-zil). (2) Saying 'done-eh-puh-zil' with an open central vowel instead of a clean ’e’ as in NEP. (3) Slurring the final 'zil' into a 'zil' that sounds like 'zill' or 'zeel'. Correction: emphasize NEP with a short, crisp 'eh' vowel and reduce final vowel length; end with a light, unstressed ‘l’ rather than a pronounced ‘ee’ or extra syllable. Practice with the IPA: doˈnɛpɪzəl, focusing on the mid-front vowel in NEP and the unstressed final syllable.”,
US: doʊˈnɛpɪzəl, rhotic (r-colored) in broader speech is not involved here, but mouth shape shows a slightly tense mid vowel. UK: dəʊˈnɛpɪzɪl, second syllable strong; final 'l' may be light or dark depending on speaker. AU: ˈdəʊnɛpɪzɪl, closer to UK but with Australian vowel nasalization and a slightly higher intonation. The primary stress remains on NEP; vowel quality in NEP and the final '-zil' varies slightly with rhoticity and vowel length, but the essential cadence stays the same across accents.”,
The difficulty lies in the cluster -pezil, where the 'pe' is short and the 'zil' ends with a syllable cluster that can blur in faster speech. The middle syllable NEP requires a precise mid-front vowel, and the terminal '-zil' contains a voiced alveolar 'z' followed by 'əl' that many speakers produce as a light 'l' sound. Clear contrast between /pɪ/ and /zəl/ and precise stress on NEP will reduce common mispronunciations in clinical handoffs and patient counseling.
Remember the strong mid-imagery cue: NEP in the middle like 'nep' in 'nephew' but with a short ’e’ sound; the onset do- sounds like 'doe' and the ending emphasizes 'zil' with a soft 'i' before the l. Visualize 'doe-NEP-i-zil' with the second syllable getting the push of air and a crisp 'z' onset for the penultimate syllable, which makes the overall rhythm distinct among drug names.
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- US: emphasize /ˈnɛ/; non-rhotic for most speakers, final /əl/ blends quickly to /əl/. - UK: /dəˈnɛpɪzɪl/, clear /ɪ/ in the penultimate; final /l/ light or dark depending on speaker. - AU: /ˈdəʊnɛpɪzɪl/ with a slightly more open /oʊ/ and a tendency toward a more clipped final syllable. - Vowel quality: NEP uses a mid-front /ɛ/; don’t use /i/ or /eɪ/. - Consonants: /d/ onset is voiced; /n/ is a sonorant nasal; /p/ is aspirated; /z/ is voiced; /l/ is light to mid. - IPA references: US doˈnɛpɪzəl, UK dəʊˈnɛpɪzɪl, AU ˈdəʊnɛpɪzɪl.
Donepezil derives from medical nomenclature rather than a common-language root. The suffix -pezil is used in several acetylcholinesterase inhibitors and compounds studied for cognitive disorders, likely formed in the mid-20th century as scientists coined new drug names with the -pezil ending to signal a class of cholinesterase inhibitors. The prefix doneo- has no direct English semantic meaning here and appears as a phonetic construct to yield a pronounceable, distinct pharmaceutical name. First used in the pharmacological literature in the early 1990s when the compound progressed through clinical development for Alzheimer’s disease, the name later entered medical databases and regulatory labels. Over time, Donepezil became a standard generic designation, widely recognized in medical practice and literature, often associated with the brand Aricept in patient-facing materials. Its established usage reflects a balance between pronounceability, memorability, and formal medical branding. The evolution mirrors pharmaceutical naming conventions that favor smooth vowel-consonant sequences and clear syllabic breaks to aid correct pronunciation by clinicians and patients alike.
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Words that rhyme with "Donepezil"
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