j/dʒ/
Touch the front of your tongue to the roof of your mouth, then release into a 'zh' position. Add vocal cord vibration.
How to pronounce genome in American English
JEE·nohm
Start here
Americans pronounce genome as JEE-nohm (/dʒinoʊm/). Stress falls on the first syllable — keep everything else short and quick. You'll hear it in sentences like "The human genome project mapped all the genes in human DNA".
Now you try.
Record yourself saying "genome" and play it back. The mic stays on your device — nothing's uploaded.
Sound by sound
Every sound in "genome".
2 syllables, 5 sounds. Tap a syllable to jump to its row, then explore each sound's mouth shape and how it's made.
ee/i/
Pull the corners of your lips back slightly. Arch the middle-front of your tongue high toward the roof of the mouth.
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.
oh/oʊ/
Start with your mouth slightly open, then close your jaw slightly as your lips round. Shift your tongue back slightly, then stretch the back up.
m/m/
Press your lips together. Air flows through your nose. Vocal cords vibrate.
Find another
Looking for a different word or sentence?
Search the entire library
/
Press / anywhere to focus the search box.
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 JEE — keep everything else short and quick.
jee·NOHM→JEE·nohm
Questions
Questions people ask about this.
How is "genome" stressed in American English?
Stress falls on the first syllable — say "JEE" with a longer, fuller vowel and keep every other syllable short and quick. The respell "JEE-nohm" marks the stressed syllable in capitals so the rhythm is easy to read at a glance.
Is the American pronunciation of "genome" 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 "JEE-nohm" reflects the casual American form; British dictionaries typically print a citation form with crisper consonants and different vowel choices.
Stop reading about "genome". Start saying it.
SayWaader is the AI pronunciation coach for American English. Practice 5 minutes a day. Get a 5-axes accent assessment. Sound like you live here.