eh/ɛ/
Drop your jaw moderately. Touch the tongue tip behind the bottom front teeth and lift the mid-front part slightly toward the roof.
How to pronounce enzymes in American English
EHN·zahymz
Start here
Americans pronounce enzymes as EHN-zahymz (/ˈɛnzaɪmz/). Stress falls on the first syllable — keep everything else short and quick. You'll hear it in sentences like "Enzymes act as catalysts to speed up chemical reactions in the body".
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Sound by sound
Every sound in "enzymes".
2 syllables, 6 sounds. Tap a syllable to jump to its row, then explore each sound's mouth shape and how it's made.
n/n/
Touch the tip or front edge of your tongue to the roof of your mouth behind your teeth. Air flows through your nose.
z/z/
Same position as S, but add vocal cord vibration. Feel the buzz.
ahy/aɪ/
Start with your jaw open wide and your tongue resting low and flat. Glide the front of your tongue up toward the roof of your mouth as your jaw closes halfway.
m/m/
Press your lips together. Air flows through your nose. Vocal cords vibrate.
z/z/
Same position as S, but add vocal cord vibration. Feel the buzz.
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Watch out
Common pronunciation mistakes in American English.
The textbook way isn't wrong — it's just not how anyone actually says it.
01
Stressing the wrong syllable.
Stress falls on the first syllable, not the others. Stretch EHN — keep everything else short and quick.
ehn·ZAHYMZ→EHN·zahymz
Questions
Questions people ask about this.
How is "enzymes" stressed in American English?
Stress falls on the first syllable — say "EHN" with a longer, fuller vowel and keep every other syllable short and quick. The respell "EHN-zahymz" marks the stressed syllable in capitals so the rhythm is easy to read at a glance.
Is the American pronunciation of "enzymes" different from British English?
American English uses different vowel shapes, a relaxed retroflex R, and connected-speech tricks like flap-T and glottal-stop T that British Received Pronunciation generally avoids. The respell "EHN-zahymz" reflects the casual American form; British dictionaries typically print a citation form with crisper consonants and different vowel choices.
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