Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

psychology

/saɪˈkɑ.lə.d͡ʒi/

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.31 in modern English

Syllables
psy-chol-o-gy
IPA
/saɪˈkɑ.lə.d͡ʒi/
24
Scrabble Score
10
Letters
4
Syllables
8
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

The study of the human mind.

Uncountable

noun

The study of human or animal behavior.

Uncountable

noun

The study of the soul.

Uncountable

Example Sentences

Etymology

From French psychologie, from Renaissance Latin psychologia, from Ancient Greek ψυχή (psukhḗ, “soul”) + -λογία (-logía, “study of”), equivalent to psycho- + -logy. The Latin term is believed by some to have been coined in a lost treatise by Croatian humanist Marko Marulić (1450–1524), but this is disputed by other scholars. It is first attested in the 1570s, at which time it was apparently already current, and may be a Hellenization of the established expression dē animā (“on the soul”) in titles.

Origin

Word Breakdown

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /saɪˈkɑ.lə.d͡ʒi/
  • British English: /saɪˈkɒl.ə.d͡ʒɪ/

Usage

Inflected Forms

Derived Forms

Phrases

Frequently Paired Words

Synonyms

Rhymes With

Questions

How do you pronounce psychology?
The recorded pronunciation is /saɪˈkɑ.lə.d͡ʒi/.
What does psychology mean?
The study of the human mind.
Where does psychology come from?
It is traced to French. First known use: first attested in the 1570s.

How to pronounce psychology

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