How to pronounce “crochet”
Crochet is pronounced /kroʊˈʃeɪ/. It has 2 syllables, and the beat falls on the second one — ʃeɪ. 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 ʃeɪ in the right place matters more to a listener than getting every vowel perfect.
Stress pattern oO — capital letters mark the stressed beats.
“crochet” sound by sound
“crochet” 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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kRaise the back of the tongue to touch the soft palate, seal the air, then release it with a puff.
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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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oʊStart with mid-back, lightly rounded lips and glide toward /ʊ/, tightening the rounding as you finish.
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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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eɪStart at the /e/ position and glide upward and forward toward /ɪ/ — the jaw closes as you say it.
Words that rhyme with “crochet”
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 “crochet”
Each of these differs from “crochet” 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 “crochet”
- How do you pronounce “crochet”?
- “crochet” is pronounced /kroʊˈʃeɪ/, with the stress on the second syllable (ʃeɪ). Press the US or UK button above to hear it spoken.
- How many syllables are in “crochet”?
- “crochet” has 2 syllables: kroʊ · ʃeɪ. The stress pattern is oO.
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