3 syllables: His, ti, dine. Stress on His.
HIS-tuh-deen
/ˈhɪstəˌdin/
Histidine is pronounced HIS-tuh-deen (/ˈhɪstəˌdin/). It has three syllables (His-ti-dine), with the stress on "His". Histidine is an essential amino acid used by the body to build proteins and support metabolism. It is one of the 20 standard amino acids encoded by DNA and plays a key role in enzyme active sites and histamine production. In scholarly writing, histidine is typically cited with its chemical properties, pKa values, and biological significance.
nounHistidine is an essential amino acid used by the body to build proteins and support metabolism. It is one of the 20 standard amino acids encoded by DNA and plays a key role in enzyme active sites and histamine production. In scholarly writing, histidine is typically cited with its chemical properties, pKa values, and biological significance.
- Clipping the final -ine syllable, saying histi-DEEN instead of hi-STI-deen; keep the final long /iːn/ and ensure the /diːn/ is not reduced. - Misplacing stress on the first syllable (HIS-ti-dine) instead of the second syllable, leading to /ˈhɪstiːn/; practice with a two-beat rhythm: hi-STI-dine. - Running the /t/ into the following /ɪ/ or /d/ producing a slurred /tɪd/; clearly articulate /t/ and then /ɪ/ to avoid linking. - Not pronouncing the initial /h/ or softening it to a nebulous breath; maintain a crisp /h/ onset. - Vowel quality: avoid reducing the /ɪ/ to a schwa in the first two syllables; keep /ɪ/ as in kit for accuracy. Practice with slow, deliberate enunciation and then progressive speed to internalize the rhythm.
How to Pronounce Histidine
"Histidine is often studied in biochemistry to understand enzyme catalysis."
"Researchers added histidine to the culture medium to stabilize the protein fold."
"The histidine tag is a common tool in protein purification."
US: /ˌhɪstɪˈdiːn/; UK/AU: typically /ˌhɪstɪˈdiːn/ with primary stress on the second syllable. Break it into hi-sti-dine, stressing the 'di' syllable. Start with a clear /h/ breath, then /ˈhɪs/ as in hist-; the second syllable /tə/ in some variants reduces to a schwa before the final /diːn/. Visualize the /ˈdiːn/ as the long E and nasal N ending. For listening reference, compare to “histidine” in protein chemistry lectures or dictionaries.”,
Common errors include placing primary stress on the first syllable (HIS-ti-dine) or slurring the /d/ into /dn/ making /ˈhɪstiːn/ or /ˈhɪstɪdən/. Another frequent mistake is shortening the final -ine to a quick /ɪn/ or dropping the long /iː/ vowel. Correction tips: clearly time the /ˈdiːn/ with a slight elongation of the final vowel, keep the /t/ crisp, and avoid a reduced vowel after the second syllable. Practice by counting the beats: hi-STI-dine; then slowly widen to the full US pronunciation /ˌhɪstɪˈdiːn/.”,
US tends to use a more pronounced /ˈhɪstɪˌdiːn/ with clear, unreduced vowels and a strong final /diːn/. UK/AU variants often preserve a similar pattern but may have slightly tighter vowel quality, with a marginally shorter final /iːn/ depending on the speaker, and some cross-dialect shifts where /ˈdiːn/ approaches /ˈdɪn/ in rapid speech. Overall, rhoticity has minimal impact here since the word ends with a non-rhotic /n/, but vowel length and diphthong quality can differ subtly. IPA guidance remains /ˌhɪstɪˈdiːn/.”,
Two main challenges: the -idine suffix producing a long /iːn/ that may be reduced in faster speech, and the secondary stress pattern that places emphasis on the -di- portion, not the first syllable. The consonant cluster /st/ combined with an aspirated /h/ at the start can slow articulation for non-native speakers. Practice by isolating the vowel length in the final syllable and by rehearsing the two-stress rhythm in slow tempo before speeding up.”,
Histidine contains an imidazole side chain which influences its pronunciation rhythm because the word visually foregrounds -idine; you may encounter minimal pairs where you hear a longer final vowel in careful speech versus a quick, clipped final in technical lectures. In practice, ensure the final /iːn/ is aspirated and not reduced, while maintaining the clear /ˈdiːn/ segment even when speaking quickly. This keeps your pronunciation precise in scientific contexts.
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- US: keep the /ɪ/ in the first syllable short as in meet; stress on the /diːn/. Vowel quality tends toward lax /ɪ/ in casual speech; focus on maintaining crisp /t/ and long final /iːn/. - UK: slightly tighter vowel articulation; final /iːn/ can be a touch shorter, but the -di- should retain clear consonants. - AU: often more clipped, with slightly broader mouth opening for /æ/ or /ɪ/; stress remains on second syllable and final /iːn/ length can vary with emphasis. IPA references: US /ˌhɪstɪˈdiːn/, UK/AU /ˌhɪstɪˈdiːn/; ensure aspirated /h/ remains audible. - General tip: practice with mouth-doppler cues—feel air release on /h/ and keep the /d/ plosive clean before the /iːn/.”,
Histidine derives from the Greek histos (mast, web) or histos meaning tissue, coupled with the chemical suffix -idine which is common to several amino acids (glutamine, lysine). The term began appearing in the scientific literature in the early 20th century as chemists elucidated the structure of amino acids. Its exact naming reflects both its discovery in protein chemistry and its imidazole side chain, which is central to histidine’s unique chemical properties. The word histidine entered broader use in biochemistry around the 1900s as scientists advanced methods for amino acid analysis and sequencing. First known use of the term in English-language biochemistry texts dates from the 1900s–1910s, coinciding with the era of foundational work on amino acids and protein structure. Modern usage emphasizes its role in enzyme catalysis and metal binding, with the suffix -idine maintaining consistency with other amino acids like tyrosine and tryptophan.
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Words that rhyme with "Histidine"
-ine sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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