How do you pronounce "Platinum"?

[Williamyh]

Hi All,

I'd like to know how do you pronounce "Platinum"? with two syllables or three syllables? Sometimes I hear people say "Plat tin num", sometimes I hear people say "Plat num"....how about you?

W

[Linguist__]

I would say I pronounce 'platinum' with three syllables, however the second syllable is so short it might be indistinguishable in connected speech. I say 'platinum' as [ˈplɑ:ʔənm] (that is a syllabic 'm', but I can't find the diacritic).

Dictionaries will likely show it as two syllables. Dictionary.com says /ˈplætnəm/. Interestingly my own Oxford dictionary has /ˈplætməm/. I'm not sure if this is a typo

[raindoctor]

Hi All,

I'd like to know how do you pronounce "Platinum"? with two syllables or three syllables? Sometimes I hear people say "Plat tin num", sometimes I hear people say "Plat num"....how about you?

W

2 syllables usually; 3 syllables, if it is an intonational nucleus, as when you want to emphasize that word in an intonational group

[ac.lepioc]

I've always knew that platinum is pronounced ˈplæt.ɪ.nəm. With three syllables as you can notice

[arbolnegro]

I pronounce it 3 syllables, though I'm not a native speaker. However my beef with the word platinum would be with the way of pronouncing the letter t, as sometimes i have diffculties with the sound t in the middle of words, as sometimes I'm not sure if it should be a mute t, a glottal stop or a pronounced t.

[Mehrgan]

Hi All,

I'd like to know how do you pronounce "Platinum"? with two syllables or three syllables? Sometimes I hear people say "Plat tin num", sometimes I hear people say "Plat num"....how about you?

W

The three syllable form, with the short vowel /I/ is more pronounced by British speakers, as in /"pl{t.I.n@m/.....But, the absence of the vowel is more common in AmE.
/"pl{t.n@m/

[lauralie2]

Hi All,

I'd like to know how do you pronounce "Platinum"? with two syllables or three syllables? Sometimes I hear people say "Plat tin num", sometimes I hear people say "Plat num"....how about you?

W

Me? I say plat'num with t unreleased.