How to pronounce “bourgeois”
Bourgeois is pronounced /bʊrʒˈwɑː/. It has 2 syllables, and the beat falls on the second one — wɑː. 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 wɑː in the right place matters more to a listener than getting every vowel perfect.
Stress pattern oO — capital letters mark the stressed beats.
“bourgeois” sound by sound
“bourgeois” is built out of 6 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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bPress both lips together and release them while the vocal folds are already vibrating, with no puff of air.
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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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ʒSame as /ʃ/ — tongue blade behind the ridge, lips slightly rounded — but with the voice turned on.
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wRound and push the lips forward tightly, raise the back of the tongue, then glide immediately into the following vowel.
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ɑːOpen the mouth wide, drop the tongue low and back, keep the lips unrounded, and hold it long — the doctor-says-"ahh" vowel.
Words that rhyme with “bourgeois”
Same ending sound from the stressed vowel on — a good way to hear whether you have the vowel right:
Questions people ask about “bourgeois”
- How do you pronounce “bourgeois”?
- “bourgeois” is pronounced /bʊrʒˈwɑː/, with the stress on the second syllable (wɑː). Press the US or UK button above to hear it spoken.
- How many syllables are in “bourgeois”?
- “bourgeois” has 2 syllables: bʊrʒ · wɑː. The stress pattern is oO.
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