‘Squirrel’ is definitely one of the most challenging words to pronounce in English.
There are several pronunciations of this word. It can be either one syllable or something closer to two syllables. The word ‘squirrel’ begins with a consonant cluster made of three consonants and ends with R and L sounds, which many learners find challenging.
In this post you’ll learn two common ways to pronounce ‘squirrel’.
Watch the video tutorial here and practice this word with me:
Here’s how you can pronounce the word ‘squirrel’:
- skw’rl [IPA: ˈskwɜɹl]
Start with an S sound and then shift to a KW cluster, as in the word ‘quiet’. Then transition to a /ɜɹ/ as in ‘stir’ and add an L sound. - skwi-r’l [IPA: ˈskwɪɹəl]
Start with an SKW cluster and shift to ‘i’ as in ‘ship’. For the second syllable, start with an R sound and shift to an L. In between the R and the L there’ll be a short schwa sound.
If you want to practice with more words that start with ‘squ’, watch this tutorial:
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