3 syllables: Em, pa, thy. Stress on Em.
EM-puh-thee
/ˈɛmpəθi/
Empathy is pronounced EM-puh-thee (/ˈɛmpəθi/). It has three syllables (Em-pa-thy), with the stress on "Em". Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of another person. It involves perspective-taking and emotional resonance, allowing you to acknowledge someone’s experience even when you don’t share it. In practice, empathy combines cognitive insight with affective presence to respond compassionately and supportively.
nounEmpathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of another person. It involves perspective-taking and emotional resonance, allowing you to acknowledge someone’s experience even when you don’t share it. In practice, empathy combines cognitive insight with affective presence to respond compassionately and supportively.
- Misplacing the stress on the second syllable, producing em-PA-thee. Correct by rehearsing EM-pa-thy with a strong first-syllable onset and a lighter middle vowel. - Turning the /θ/ into /t/ or /s/ in rapid speech. Correct by practicing the dental fricative using a mirror, placing the tongue tip gently between teeth and forcing a small air stream. - Over-emphasizing the middle /ə/ or flattening the final /i/ into a short /ɪ/. Correct by articulating /ə/ clearly as a neutral schwa and finishing with a crisp/ee/ sound. - Vowel quality drift: US /ˈempəˌθi/ vs UK/AU /ˈɛm.pə.θi/. Correct by listening to regional samples and matching vowel length and quality, focusing on the first vowel being slightly lower and shorter in UK/AU variants.
How to Pronounce Empathy
"Her empathy toward her students helped her tailor the lesson to their needs."
"Developing empathy requires listening deeply and avoiding quick judgments."
"The counselor’s empathy created a safe space for clients to open up."
Empathy is pronounced /ˈempəˌθi/ in American English and /ˈɛm.pə.θi/ in most UK variants; Australian tends to /ˈem.pə.θi/ or /ˈɛm.pə.θi/. The primary stress is on the first syllable: EM-pa-thy, with a secondary articulation on the second syllable for some speakers. The 'th' is the dental fricative /θ/ (unvoiced) or /ð/ in some casual speech variants; the standard is /θ/. Start with a short “em” as in 'embassy', then a soft /p/ and the /ə/ schwa, ending with /θi/ as in 'thick' plus 'ee'.
Common mistakes include pronouncing as 'em-pat-hee' with a strong /t/ or turning /θ/ into /s/ or /t/. Another error is misplacing the primary stress, saying ‘em-PA-thy’ or spreading the /i/ into a long /iː/ or /ɪ/. To correct: keep /θ/ as a dental fricative, don’t voice it; maintain primary stress on the first syllable; reduce the middle vowel to a schwa /ə/ and end with /θi/ rather than /ˈθi/ or /ti/. Practice with words like 'empathy' versus 'empathize' to feel the rhythm.
In US English you’ll typically hear /ˈempəˌθi/ with a clear /ə/ in the second syllable and a dental /θ/. UK English tends to be /ˈɛm.pə.θi/ with similar /θ/ articulation but slightly crisper vowel qualities. Australian pronunciation aligns with /ˈempəθi/ with a near-unvoiced /θ/ and a less pronounced final vowel. Some speakers reduce syllables in fast speech, producing /ˈem.pə.θi/ or /ˈempəθi/. Overall, rhotics are non-rhotic in UK and AU, but US speakers are rhotic; this does not dramatically change the target sounds though spacing and vowel quality can shift.
The difficulty centers on the dental fricative /θ/ and the multi-syllabic rhythm of three syllables with primary stress on the first syllable. The combination of unstressed /ə/ in the middle and the dental fricative at the end can cause substitutions like /f/ or /t/ in quick speech. Additionally, maintaining a crisp /θ/ without voicing requires precise tongue placement (tip between teeth) and a gentle breath. Practice slow repetition and minimal pairs focusing on /em-/, /ə/, and /θi/ to master the flow.
Empathy ends with /θi/, where the /θ/ is a voiceless dental fricative followed by a short /i/. A unique challenge is the transition from the schwa-like /ə/ to /θ/; this is where many speakers temporarily mispronounce by substituting /t/ or /s/. Emphasize keeping the tongue blade lightly between the upper and lower teeth for /θ/ and finishing with a crisp /i/ vowel. The main SEO-friendly signal is the 'em-puh-thee' cadence with first-syllable stress.
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- US: stress on the first syllable with a distinct /ˈ/, r-colored or not depending on speaker; ensure /θ/ remains voiceless and the final /i/ is a clear, light 'ee'. - UK: similar stress, but vowels tend to be crisper; non-rhotic pattern affects linked vowels; keep /θ/ precise and avoid vowel reduction that shortens /i/. - AU: tends toward a flatter vowel in the first syllable and a slightly softer /θ/; maintain the dental fricative with a precise articulation. Use IPA as guide: /ˈempəθi/ or /ˈɛm.pə.θi/ depending on speaker. - General tip: practice with slow, then gradually increase speed while maintaining mouth positions. Use recordings to compare with native samples.
Empathy derives from the Greek empatheia, from en- 'in' + pathos 'feeling, suffering'. The term was coined in the early 20th century as a translation of German Einfuhlung, a concept in aesthetics and psychology describing the experience of feeling into a work or another’s emotional state. In its adoption into English, empathy reframed from a purely aesthetic immersion to a psychological capacity for sharing or understanding others’ emotions. The spelling shifted to English-friendly phonology under the influence of the Greek roots, though sensitivity to the root patho (disease, feeling) remains. The word gained widespread use in psychology and social sciences in the mid-1900s, expanding to everyday usage to describe interpersonal attunement. Today, empathy spans cognitive understanding and affective resonance, and it’s a core component of emotional intelligence and compassionate leadership. First known uses appeared in German philosophy and American psychology writings around the 1900s, with English adoption increasing post-1950s alongside humanistic psychology and social-emotional learning movements.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "Empathy" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "Empathy"
-apy sounds
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