How to pronounce “assured”
Assured is pronounced /əˈʃʊrd/. It has 2 syllables, and the beat falls on the second one — ʃʊrd. 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 ʃʊrd in the right place matters more to a listener than getting every vowel perfect.
Stress pattern oO — capital letters mark the stressed beats.
“assured” sound by sound
“assured” is built out of 5 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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əDo almost nothing: leave the tongue in its neutral resting position, mouth slightly open, and make the shortest, weakest possible vowel.
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ʃPull the tongue slightly back from the /s/ position, spread the blade wide behind the ridge, round the lips a little, and push air through with no voice.
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ʊPull the tongue high and back but keep it lax, with light, loose lip rounding — short and relaxed.
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rCurl the tongue tip back (or bunch the tongue body up) without touching anything, round the lips slightly, and voice — the tongue must never tap the roof of the mouth.
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dSame tongue position as /t/ — tip on the ridge behind the upper teeth — but voice the sound and release it without aspiration.
Words that rhyme with “assured”
Same ending sound from the stressed vowel on — a good way to hear whether you have the vowel right:
Questions people ask about “assured”
- How do you pronounce “assured”?
- “assured” is pronounced /əˈʃʊrd/, with the stress on the second syllable (ʃʊrd). Press the US or UK button above to hear it spoken.
- How many syllables are in “assured”?
- “assured” has 2 syllables: ə · ʃʊrd. The stress pattern is oO.
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