The word ‘gyro’ has a couple of meanings in English. When you refer to the Greek sandwich, there are actually two ways to say it. The word consists of two syllables, and the primary stress is on the first one.
One way to pronounce it is: jee-row or zhee-row [IPA: ʒiɹoʊ]
- jee [IPA: ʒi]
The first syllable begins with either a J or ZH sound [ʒ], which is the same sound you have in the word ‘vision’. Then it transitions into a long ‘ee’ sound as in the word ‘sheep’. - row [IPA: ɹoʊ]
The second syllable begins with the R sound and changes into the OW diphthong as in the word ‘go’.
The other way to pronounce ‘gyro’ is: yee-row [IPA: jiɹoʊ].
The second syllable is pronounced the same but the first syllable begins with a Y sound, as in the word ‘yes’.
Watch my tutorial on how to pronounce ‘gyro’ and practice with me.
The other meaning of the word ‘gyro’ is a short version of the word ‘gyroscope’ – a device that consists of a wheel that spins freely within a frame and is used to help keep aircraft and ships steady. The pronunciation of that meaning is djai-row [IPA: dʒaɪɹoʊ].
Gyro is not the only English word that was borrowed from the other languages and therefore a bit tricky to pronounce. If you like to talk about food you’ll definitely find the following tutorials helpful: cuisine, Worcestershire Sauce, and the episode 6 Food names you’re (Probably) Pronouncing Wrong.
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