4 syllables: Mil, li, sie, verts. Stress on sie.
mil-is-EE-vurts
/ˌmɪlɪˈsiːvɚts/
Millisieverts is pronounced mil-is-EE-vurts (/ˌmɪlɪˈsiːvɚts/). It has four syllables (Mil-li-sie-verts), with the stress on "sie". Millisieverts is a unit of radiation dose equivalent used to measure the effect of ionizing radiation on human tissue. It combines the absorbed dose with a quality factor to reflect biological impact. In practice, it denotes how much radiation a person receives over a given exposure, with the plural form used for multiple doses or dose statistics.
nounMillisieverts is a unit of radiation dose equivalent used to measure the effect of ionizing radiation on human tissue. It combines the absorbed dose with a quality factor to reflect biological impact. In practice, it denotes how much radiation a person receives over a given exposure, with the plural form used for multiple doses or dose statistics.
How to Pronounce Millisieverts
"The hospital recorded the staff’s annual exposure in millisieverts to monitor safety."
"Researchers reported a total dose of 5.2 millisieverts for the simulated mission."
"The radiation detector indicated a dose of 0.02 millisieverts near the leak site."
Pronounce as /ˌmɪliˈsiːvərts/. Start with /ˌmɪ/ (mi as in 'milli'), stress the second syllable '-LI-' with /ˈliː/, then /vərts/ for 'verts'. The first three syllables flow quickly: mi-li-SI-e-, with the final -verts clearly enunciated. In comfortable speech you can slightly reduce the -i- after mi, but keep the long -ee- in siev to avoid conflating with 'siege' or 'sever'.
Common errors: misplacing stress on the first syllable (MI-li-si-everts) or flattening the long /iː/ in 'sie' leading to /ˌmɪliˈsivərts/. Also, some speakers pronounce the -v- cluster too weakly, sounding like /-verts/ as /-verts/ or /-vərts/ with too much schwa. Correct by ensuring the 'sie' carries a strong long /iː/ and that the /v/ and final /ts/ are clearly articulated. Practice with minimal pairs focusing on where the vowel and consonant boundaries occur in loud, crisp enunciation.
US/UK/AU share the same core sounds, but stress may shift subtly and vowel length can vary. In US, you commonly hear /ˌmɪliˈsiːvərts/ with a strong /ˈliː/ and rhotic /r/ in 'verts'. UK speakers may have a slightly shorter /i:/ and more clipped /t/ at the end, giving /ˌmɪlɪˈsiːvəts/ in rapid speech. Australian English tends toward a flatter final syllable with less rhoticity and a lightly pronounced /t/ becoming a soft /ts/; still retain /ˌmɪliˈsiːvəts/. The key difference is vowel quality and flapping or tapping of the /t/ depending on dialect, but the central pattern stays /ˌmɪliˈsiːvərts/ across three varieties.
It combines a long /ˈsiː/ vowel after a light /l/ sequence and ends with a consonant cluster /-vərts/, which can be tricky. The 'mill' prefix is quick, not emphasized, while the 'sievert' portion requires a clear /ˈsiːv/ and a precise /ərts/ to avoid merging with /verts/. The final /ts/ can be devoiced or assimilated in fast speech. Practice by isolating /siː/ and /vərts/ and then blend. IPA cues: /ˌmɪliˈsiːvərts/.
The unique aspect is the long /iː/ in 'sie' following a light 'mi' onset and the rare cluster at the end /-varts/ with a clear /v/ plus final /ts/. It’s a multi-syllable, technical term with three clearly enunciated segments and a pronounced second-syllable stress. You’ll want to keep the 'si' as /siː/ and avoid conflating with 'millies' or 'sievert' in plural. Use IPA reference /ˌmɪliˈsiːvərts/ to standardize your pronunciation across contexts.
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Millisieverts derives from combining three elements: the prefix milli- meaning one thousandth, the unit sievert (Sv) which measures the effect of ionizing radiation on living tissue, and the plural suffix -s to indicate multiple doses. The word sievert itself originated from Swedish scientist Rolf Sievert, coining the unit in his honor in the 1950s as part of the International System of Units (SI) for radiation protection. Milli- as a decimal prefix has ancient Latin roots signifying a thousandth, used widely in metric systems when a dose is measured in smaller subdivisions. The compound formation reflects both the magnitude (milli) and the biological weighting of the exposure (sievert), and the term rose to prominence in regulatory and medical contexts as radiological safety standards expanded in the late 20th century. The pluralization millisieverts is standard in scientific English for multiple measurements, and the pronunciation has settled around the stress pattern you’re aiming to reproduce: mi-LI-si-eVerts, with the primary stress on the -si- syllable in some variants, but typically on the SI unit name element in continuous professional usage.
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Words that rhyme with "Millisieverts"
-rts sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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