Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

methane

/ˈmɛθeɪn/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.54 in modern English

Syllables: meth-ane
IPA: /ˈmɛθeɪn/

12

Scrabble Score

7

Letters

2

Syllables

6

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

The simplest aliphatic hydrocarbon, CH₄, being a constituent of natural gas, and one of the most abundant greenhouse gases.

Uncountable

noun

Any of very many derivatives of methane.

Countable

Example Sentences

"Cattle emit a large amount of methane."
"Methane, an invisible, odorless gas that makes up more than 95% of natural gas fuel, can be as much as 80 times more potent as a global warmer per given unit than CO₂, which is more plentiful in the atmosphere. While there are less emissions than CO₂, methane lasts around 12 years, while CO₂ lingers for centuries."

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *médʰu Proto-Hellenic *métʰu Ancient Greek μέθυ (méthu) Proto-Indo-European *swel-der.? Ancient Greek ῡ̔́λη (hū́lē)der. German -yl German Methylbor. English methyl Proto-Indo-European *-nós Proto-Italic *-nos Proto-Italic *-ānos Latin -ānusder. English -ane English methane From methyl + -ane.

Word Breakdown

Suffix: methyl

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˈmɛθeɪn/
British English: /ˈmiːθeɪn/

Usage

Inflected Forms

methanes (plural)

Derived Forms

aminomethane azomethane azoxymethane biomethane bromochlorofluoroiodomethane bromochlorofluoromethane bromochloromethane bromodichloromethane bromodifluoromethane bromofluoromethane bromoiodomethane bromomethane

Phrases

coalbed methane methane clathrate methane gas methane hydrate methane ice methane rain methanesulfonic acid methano-

Synonyms

methyl hydride carbon tetrahydride

Rhymes With

ethane

Questions

How do you pronounce methane?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈmɛθeɪn/.
What does methane mean?: The simplest aliphatic hydrocarbon, CH₄, being a constituent of natural gas, and one of the most abundant greenhouse gases.
Where does methane come from?: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *médʰu Proto-Hellenic *métʰu Ancient Greek μέθυ (méthu) Proto-Indo-European *swel-der.? Ancient Greek ῡ̔́λη (hū́lē)der. German -yl German Methylbor. English methyl Proto-Indo-European *-nós Proto-Italic *-nos Proto-Italic *-ānos Latin -ānusder. English -ane English methane From methyl + -ane.

How to pronounce methane

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “methane”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈmɛθeɪn/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “methane”.
Repeat and practice — Say “methane” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.