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How to Pronounce ‘Choir’

In this post you’ll learn how to pronounce ‘choir’, which is one of the trickiest words in English because of the spelling.

Watch the tutorial on how to pronounce ‘choir’ and practice:

As you could see, there are two syllables in this word, and the stress is on the first syllable: kwai-y’r [IPA: ˈkwaɪəɹ].

  • kwai
    The first syllable begins with a KW cluster, as in the word ‘quiet’. Then you shift to an AY diphthong, as in the word ‘my’.
  • y’r
    The second syllable is officially uhr – an r-colored schwa (basically a schwa sound followed by an R sound) but since the previous syllable ends with a front vowel, speakers tend to insert a Y sound in between the AY sound and the schwa: kwai-y’r.

Curious about other English words with surprising pronunciation? Watch Hadar’s tutorial on the pronunciation of colonel and Worcestershire.

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Additional resources:

English Vowels | Free Training
American R Sound |Free Boot Camp

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