3 syllables: Pre, val, ence. Stress on Pre.
PREV-uh-luhns
/ˈpɹɛvələns/
Prevalence is pronounced PREV-uh-luhns (/ˈpɹɛvələns/). It has three syllables (Pre-val-ence), with the stress on "Pre". Prevalence is the extent to which something is common or widespread within a population or area. It is often used in scientific, medical, and sociological contexts to quantify how frequently a condition, trait, or behavior occurs relative to the total group studied. The term emphasizes overall pervasiveness rather than incidence of new cases alone.
nounPrevalence is the extent to which something is common or widespread within a population or area. It is often used in scientific, medical, and sociological contexts to quantify how frequently a condition, trait, or behavior occurs relative to the total group studied. The term emphasizes overall pervasiveness rather than incidence of new cases alone.
- Misplacing the stress: You might say PRE-va-lence. Focus on stressing the second syllable: pre-VE-lence. - Weak final: Dropping or softening the final /ns/; keep a clean /ns/ or /ns/ cluster, not a long or voiceless trailing sound. - First-syllable vowel drift: Avoid turning /ɪ/ into a more central or elongated vowel; keep it short and crisp as /ɪ/.
How to Pronounce Prevalence
"The prevalence of obesity has risen over the past decade in many countries."
"Researchers measured the prevalence of smoking among adults in urban regions."
"Public health reports track the prevalence of rare diseases to allocate resources."
Pronounce as prɪ-VEH-lən(ts). The primary stress falls on the second syllable: pre-VE-lence. The initial /pr/ cluster blends with a short /ɪ/ in the first syllable, then the stressed /ˈvɛl/ contains a clear vowel and a light, quick /ən/ ending. For clarity, say “pre-VE-lən(t)s” with a soft, almost schwa-like final syllable. IPA: US prɪˈvɛləns; UK prɪˈvɛləns; AU prɪˈvɛləns.
Common mistakes: 1) Dropping the second syllable stress and saying pre-VAL-ence; correct as pre-VE-lence with the emphasis on the second syllable. 2) Slurring the final -ence to a quick /s/ or /z/; maintain a clear final /ən(t)s/ or /əns/ sound. 3) Misplacing the short /ɪ/ in the first syllable, producing pre-VUH-lence; keep a crisp /ɪ/ in the first syllable and avoid a long vowel. Aim for /prɪˈvɛləns/ with a light, non-syllabic /ə/ in the last syllable.
In US and UK, the core is /prɪˈvɛləns/ with stress on the second syllable and a rhotic or non-rhotic accent affecting the final /r/; both typically have a clear /l/ and a schwa-like ending. Australians share the /prɪˈvɛləns/ nucleus but may have a slightly more open /æ/ in some regional speech, and a clipped final /s/ in rapid speech. The main differences are vowel quality and the degree of rhoticity in connected speech. IPA references: US /prɪˈvɛləns/, UK /prɪˈvɛləns/, AU /prɪˈvɛləns/.
Two main challenges: first, the stress on the second syllable can be easy to miss in rapid speech, causing a PRE-valence instead of pre-VE-lence. Second, the middle /vɛl/ sequence sits between a front vowel and a liquid consonant, so listeners expect a precise /v/ followed by /ɛ/ and /l/. Keep the /ɪ/ in the first syllable short, and give the /l/ a light but clear contact before the /ə/ or /ən/ ending. IPA: prɪˈvɛləns.
Does 'Prevalence' have a silent letter? No. The word pronounces all letters: /prɪˈvɛləns/. The 'e' in the second syllable is part of the vowel /ɛ/, and the final 'ce' yields /ns/ with a nasal plus a voiceless alveolar fricative ending in most pronunciations. Ensure the final /s/ is not devoiced to /z/ in careful speech; keep it clean and crisp. IPA: /prɪˈvɛləns/.
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Prevalence comes from Middle French prevelance, which itself comes from Latin praevalentia, from prae- ‘before, in front’ + valens/valent- ‘being strong, capable’ and the noun-forming suffix -entia. The root vel- or val- is tied to strength or capability, with praeadjuncts indicating superiority or predominance. The word entered English through scholarly and medical discourse in the 17th–18th centuries, aligning with terms like prevalence vs. incidence to describe how widespread a condition is in a given population. Over time, prevalence broadened to general usage beyond medicine, retaining its core sense of widespread presence or frequency rather than new occurrence. Modern usage often pairs it with prevalence rates and confidence intervals in epidemiology, sociology, and market research, reflecting its quantitative connotation of how common something is within a specified group and period.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "Prevalence" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "Prevalence"
-nce sounds
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