How to pronounce “colleague”
Colleague is pronounced /ˈkɑːliːɡ/. It has 2 syllables, and the beat falls on the first one — kɑː. 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 kɑː in the right place matters more to a listener than getting every vowel perfect.
Stress pattern Oo — capital letters mark the stressed beats.
The common mispronunciation of “colleague”
✗ Often said: /ˈkɑːliːɡʌe/ — the spelling, read straight off the page.
✓ Actually: /ˈkɑːliːɡ/
Why the two come apart: the silent “u” after “g”/“q” is not pronounced, even though the spelling begs you to say it.
This is why reading English aloud from spelling alone goes wrong so often: the letters of “colleague” are not a reliable map of its sounds. The IPA is — each symbol stands for exactly one sound, every time.
“colleague” sound by sound
“colleague” 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.
-
kRaise the back of the tongue to touch the soft palate, seal the air, then release it with a puff.
-
ɑːOpen the mouth wide, drop the tongue low and back, keep the lips unrounded, and hold it long — the doctor-says-"ahh" vowel.
-
lTouch the tongue tip to the ridge behind the upper teeth and let the voiced air flow around the sides of the tongue.
-
iːSpread the lips into a smile, push the front of the tongue high and forward, and hold the sound tense and long.
-
ɡBack of the tongue seals against the soft palate and releases while the voice is already on — no puff of air.
Silent letters in “colleague”
Letters you write but never say — this is the single biggest reason the word trips people up:
- uThe letter “u”Silent “u” after “g”/“q” — write it, but do not let it reach your mouth.
Minimal pairs — words one sound away from “colleague”
Each of these differs from “colleague” 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 “colleague”
- How do you pronounce “colleague”?
- “colleague” is pronounced /ˈkɑːliːɡ/, with the stress on the first syllable (kɑː). Press the US or UK button above to hear it spoken.
- How many syllables are in “colleague”?
- “colleague” has 2 syllables: kɑː · liːɡ. The stress pattern is Oo.
- What is the common mispronunciation of “colleague”?
- People read it off the spelling as /ˈkɑːliːɡʌe/, but it is actually /ˈkɑːliːɡ/, because the silent “u” after “g”/“q” is not pronounced, even though the spelling begs you to say it.
- Does “colleague” have any silent letters?
- Yes — silent “u” after “g”/“q”.
Stop looking words up one at a time
You just looked up one word. PHONO puts the IPA above every word of whatever you are reading — in your browser, in a PDF, in any app — the moment you select it. An offline pronunciation dictionary, US and UK audio, one hotkey.