4 syllables: flu, ox, e, tine. Stress on ox.
floo-OK-suh-teen
/fluːˈɒksətiːn/
fluoxetine is pronounced floo-OK-suh-teen (/fluːˈɒksətiːn/). It has four syllables (flu-ox-e-tine), with the stress on "ox". Fluoxetine is a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) used to treat depression, anxiety, and certain mood disorders. It modulates serotonin levels in the brain to improve mood and reduce symptoms over several weeks. The word itself is a pharmaceutical noun, typically encountered in medical settings and patient-facing literature.
Fluoxetine is a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) used to treat depression, anxiety, and certain mood disorders. It modulates serotonin levels in the brain to improve mood and reduce symptoms over several weeks. The word itself is a pharmaceutical noun, typically encountered in medical settings and patient-facing literature.
- You might say flu-OK-si-teen (eliding the i-sound) or merge the -ox- and -i- too closely. To fix, practice breaking flu-ox-i-tine into three clear beats: flu-ox‑i‑tine, with a mid-short o in -ox- and a long e in -tine. - Another common error is misplacing the primary stress on the first or third syllable. Remember: the secondary syllable carries the main emphasis: flu-OX-i-tine. Use clausal rhythm to keep the beat steady. - Some speakers vocalize the final -tine as -tin, dropping the distinct /iːn/ ending. Practice the ending with a crisp, tense -iːn to avoid conflation. Progress with minimal pairs that stress the middle syllable and hold the final vowel.
"The doctor prescribed fluoxetine for his major depressive episode."
"She reported improved energy after starting fluoxetine."
"Fluoxetine often takes several weeks to reach noticeable therapeutic effects."
Pronounce fluoxetine as /ˌfluˈɒk.sɪˌtiːn/ (US and UK variants: US: /ˌfluˈɒk.sɪˌtiːn/, UK: similar). Stress is on the second syllable: flu-OX-i-tine, with a light secondary stress on -ti-. Start with an initial 'flu' cluster, then a clear 'ox' as in 'ocks' but with a short o, finish with 'i-tin' with a long e sound. IPA guidance helps ensure the -ox- is not confused with -oʊ-.”,
Two frequent errors: (1) misplacing stress, often saying flu-OX-e-tine with wrong emphasis; (2) mispronouncing the -ox- as 'ohks' or elongating the 'ti' into 'teen' without shortening. Correction: keep the primary stress on the second syllable: flu-OX-i-tine, with a crisp, short o in the -ox- syllable and a clear long e at the end. Practicing the sequence flu-ox-i-tine helps avoid crowding consonants and ensures accurate vowel quality.
Across accents the core segments stay consistent: flu-OX-i-tine. In US English, the initial 'flu' has a clearer /flu/ while UK and AU may reduce the final vowel slightly and keep the /ɒ/ in the -ox- syllable. US often emphasizes the second syllable more strongly, UK/AU may show a slightly более centralized vowel in the first syllable and stronger final consonant clarity. The r-coloring is minimal since fluoxetine is non-rhotic in UK/AU, but in careful speech you may hear subtle vowel shifts in -i-tine depending on speaker.
The challenge lies in the multi-syllabic, high-frequency medical term with the -ox- cluster and the final -ine ending. The second-syllable stress on 'OX' requires precise vowel timing, and the long 'ee' in -tine needs a clean, tense vowel without assimilating into a 'tin' sound. Mouth positioning for the /ɒ/ or /ɒ/ish vowel in the -ox- syllable, plus keeping the -ti- as a separate syllable with a clear long -iːn, makes it easy to blur into 'flu-oks-uh-teen' if not careful.
A notable concern is preserving the tight sequence flu-ox-i-tine without inserting extra vowels or consonants between syllables. Ensure the 'ox' vowel is not merged with the 'i' and that the final '-tine' retains the long -iːn sound rather than a short 'i' as in 'tin'. This creates a distinct pronunciation: flu-OX-i-tine, with accurate consonant timing and syllable separation to reflect its chemical naming origin.
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US: rhotacized vowel tendencies are rare in fluoxetine; focus on a clear /ɒ/ in the second syllable and a long /iːn/ at the end. UK: non-rhotic tendency; final -tine remains syllabic with a clear long -iːn. AU: tends to be flatter vowels and clean -iːn ending. In all accents, the primary stress sits on the second syllable: flu-OX-i-tine. IPA checks: US /ˌfluˈɒk.sɪˌtiːn/, UK /ˌfluˈɒk.sɪˌtiːn/, AU /ˌfluˈɒk.sɪˌtiːn/. Practice focusing on keeping the middle /ɒ/ short and the final /iːn/ tense.
Fluoxetine derives from a combination of chemical-naming conventions rather than a meaningful morpheme in ordinary language. The base root reflects a fluoro- substituent and a benzene ring system common to many pharmaceutical amines, with the -oxetine ending tracing to the phenoxyphenylpropylamine family in which -oxetine typically marks a monoamine oxidase-inhibitor or serotonin-acting agent in older nomenclature associations. The term entered English medical literature in the 1980s as new antidepressants were developed; its first known uses appear in pharmacology texts and drug approval documents as fluoxetine hydrochloride, later popularized by the brand name Prozac. Over time, the word has become the standard generic for the SSRI class, used globally in medical prescriptions and patient information sheets. The evolution reflects the standardization of drug naming by chemical structure and mechanism of action rather than a descriptive lay term, aiding clinicians in recognizing its pharmacological role and distinguishing it from other antidepressants. Today, fluoxetine is recognized as a pioneering SSRI with a long clinical history, while the lexical form remains anchored to its chemical roots rather than everyday language nuances.
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Words that rhyme with "fluoxetine"
-ine sounds
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