How to pronounce “anchor”
Anchor is pronounced /ˈæŋkər/. It has 2 syllables, and the beat falls on the first one — æŋ. Below: the syllable split, native audio in both accents, the mistake people actually make with this word, and every individual sound in it explained.
Syllables and stress
Split it into 2 beats. The highlighted syllable is the strong one: say it louder, longer and a touch higher in pitch, and let the others fall away. English is a stress-timed language, so getting æŋ in the right place matters more to a listener than getting every vowel perfect.
Stress pattern Oo — capital letters mark the stressed beats.
“anchor” sound by sound
“anchor” is built out of 4 sounds. Say each one on its own first, slowly, then run them together at speed. Every sound links to a full guide with mouth position, the mistake learners make with it, and other words that use it.
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æDrop the jaw noticeably, push the front of the tongue low and forward, and spread the lips — it is a flat, bright, fairly long American vowel.
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ŋRaise the back of the tongue against the soft palate as if for /ɡ/, but let the voiced air escape through the nose instead of releasing it.
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kRaise the back of the tongue to touch the soft palate, seal the air, then release it with a puff.
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ərThe same r-coloured tongue shape as /ɜːr/ but weak, short and unstressed — the ending of "teacher", "doctor", "sugar".
Words that rhyme with “anchor”
Same ending sound from the stressed vowel on — a good way to hear whether you have the vowel right:
Minimal pairs — words one sound away from “anchor”
Each of these differs from “anchor” by exactly one sound. If you can say both of a pair and hear the difference, that sound is under control:
Questions people ask about “anchor”
- How do you pronounce “anchor”?
- “anchor” is pronounced /ˈæŋkər/, with the stress on the first syllable (æŋ). Press the US or UK button above to hear it spoken.
- How many syllables are in “anchor”?
- “anchor” has 2 syllables: æŋ · kər. The stress pattern is Oo.
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