How to pronounce the word QUESTION

TRANSCRIPT

Hey everyone, it’s Hadar, and this is The Accent’s Way. And today we’re gonna talk about the question: how to pronounce the word ‘question’? It’s pretty simple as long as we remember that it’s not pronounced the way it’s written because English is not a phonetic language.

So, this word has two syllables. And in every word there is one syllable that sticks out the most. It is longer, louder, and higher in pitch. And in this case it’s the first syllable – “kwes” “kwes”. We begin with a ‘k’ sound. Then it’s a ‘w’, round your lips for a ‘W’. Then the ‘eh’ as in ‘red’ – “kwe”. And then you end it up with an ‘S’ – “kwes” “kwes”. Just like the word ‘quest’ – “kwes”. That’s the first syllable.

The second syllable begins with a ‘ch’ sound as in ‘chicken’. Right? I know it’s spelled with a ‘T’ but we do want to pronounce that as a “ch”. “Ch”, “ch”, “ch”. Then we reduce to a schwa – “chuh” “chuh” – and then close it with an ‘N’ – “ch’n” “ch’n”. “Kwes-ch’n”. Tah-tah. Question. Question. “Hey, I have a question.” “Do you have any questions?” “Can I ask you a question?”

Now, you might be hearing people pronouncing this word more with a ‘sh’ sound, like “kwesh-t’n”. “Kwesh-t’n”. That’s also okay but I would focus on the accurate pronunciation with a ‘s’ sound – “kwes-ch’n”.

All right, that’s it. Thank you so much for watching. Please share this video with your friends if you liked it. And if you have any questions for me, let me know in the comments below. Have a great week and I’ll see you next week in the next video. Bye.