Pronunciation guide

How to pronounce prescription

pruh-SKRIP-shun - three syllables, stress in the middle

US/pɹəˈskɹɪp.ʃən/

pɹəskɹɪpʃən

UK/pɹəˈskɹɪp.ʃən/

pɹəskɹɪpʃən

New to IPA symbols? Read the IPA guide.

Common mistake

Often flipped to 'per-SKRIP-shun'; keep the 'r' with the 'p' - 'pruh-SKRIP-shun'.

What “prescription” means

A written order from an authorized medical practitioner for provision of a medicine or other treatment, such as (ophthalmology) the specific lenses needed for a pair of glasses.

The medicine or treatment provided by such an order.

In a sentence

  • The surgeon had written thousands of prescriptions for pain killers without proper examinations before the police raided the clinic.
  • I need you to pick up grandma's prescriptions on your way home.

Say it out loud a few times, then check yourself.

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Definitions and examples are derived from Wiktionary, used under CC BY-SA 4.0, then edited by QuickPronounce. Pronunciation data draws on CMUdict.