3 syllables: per, cent, ile. Stress on cent.
pur-SEN-teyel
/pɚˈsɛˌntaɪl/
percentile is pronounced pur-SEN-teyel (/pɚˈsɛˌntaɪl/). It has three syllables (per-cent-ile), with the stress on "cent". Percentile refers to a value below which a given percentage of observations fall in a data set. It is used in statistics to describe relative standing, such as the 90th percentile. The term combines percent with -ile, indicating a ratio or relative position within a distribution.
Percentile refers to a value below which a given percentage of observations fall in a data set. It is used in statistics to describe relative standing, such as the 90th percentile. The term combines percent with -ile, indicating a ratio or relative position within a distribution.
"The 95th percentile of test scores indicates that 95% scored at or below that mark."
"She ranked in the 40th percentile for reading fluency compared with her peers."
"We report the percentile rank to show how a score compares to a reference group."
Pronounce as /pərˈsɛnˌtaɪl/ (US) or /pəˈsenˌtaɪl/ (UK/AU). Start with a schwa + p sound, then stress the second syllable ‘sen,’ followed by a lighter, dipped final ‘tail’ with the /aɪl/ ending. Tip: keep the /ˈsɛn/ crisp, then glide into /taɪl/ without breaking the word, so it sounds like per-SEN-til. Listen to native speakers on Pronounce or YouGlish for subtle vowel timing.
Two frequent errors: (1) Misplacing stress, saying per-CEN-til or per-senk-til; (2) Slurring the final -ile into a simple /l/ or /əl/ instead of the /aɪl/ diphthong. Correction: stress the second syllable: per-SEN-til with the final /taɪl/ clearly pronounced. Ensure the /ɪ/ in -til is short before the natural /aɪl transition, not a long -i- sound. Practice by isolating the /taɪl/ portion and blending it with the preceding /ˈsɛn/.
In US English, /pɚˈsɛnˌtaɪl/, with rhotic r and a schwa before p, as in 'purr-sen-TAIL.' UK/AU often reduce the initial syllable to /pə/ or /pɜː/ and maintain /ˈsenˌtaɪl/, with a non-rhotic r. The final /aɪl/ remains a diphthong in all. Australians may have a slightly broader vowel in /ˌtaɪl/ and less intrusive linking, but most variations spare the final consonant cluster. Focus on keeping the /ˈsɛn/ strong and the /taɪl/ as a crisp diphthong in all accents.
The difficulty lies in two areas: the mid- syllable /ˈsɛn/ is a short, crisp vowel that can be reduced in rapid speech, and the final /taɪl/ forms a challenging diphthong that slides from /aɪ/ to /l/. The combination of a stressed, clear middle and a trailing diphthong makes it easy to misplace stress or blur the final sound. Practice isolating the two parts and recombining them with accurate timing to improve fluency.
A unique aspect is the transition from a syllabic /ˈsɛn/ to a high-front /aɪ/ in the final syllable; ensure that the /t/ is not silent and that /l/ doesn’t create an extra syllable. The stress pattern is often treated as per-SEN-til, with the strongest emphasis on /ˈsɛn/ and a light lift on the final /taɪl/. Keeping the /p/ lightly released and avoiding an exaggerated aspirated onset in the initial syllable helps maintain a natural cadence.
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Percentile derives from percent, which comes from the Latin phrase per centum meaning ‘by the hundred,’ and the suffix -ile, used here to indicate a relation or suitability to something (akin to ‘in relation to’ a set). The mathematical term percentile emerged in statistics in the late 19th to early 20th century as part of the broader effort to describe distributions beyond simple averages. The concept of a percentile is tied to rank ordering; for any distribution, the p-th percentile is the value for which p% of observations fall at or below. The usage expanded with large-scale testing and standardized assessments, where percentile ranks provide a relative standing rather than an absolute score. Early statisticians like Karl Pearson and developers of standardized testing employed percentiles to compare individuals to a group, and the term has since become standard in data analysis, education, psychology, and health metrics. The pronunciation reflects its parsed structure: per-cent-ile, with stress typically on the first syllable when used as a compound, though natural speech can shift stress in rapid speech.
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Words that rhyme with "percentile"
-ile sounds
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