How to pronounce “eyewear”
Eyewear is pronounced /ˈaɪˌwer/. It has 2 syllables, and the beat falls on the first one — aɪ. 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 aɪ in the right place matters more to a listener than getting every vowel perfect.
Stress pattern Oō — capital letters mark the stressed beats.
“eyewear” sound by sound
“eyewear” 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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aɪStart with the mouth open at an /a/-like position and glide up toward /ɪ/, closing the jaw as you go.
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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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eHold the tongue mid-high and forward with the jaw slightly open and lips relaxed and unrounded.
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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.
Minimal pairs — words one sound away from “eyewear”
Each of these differs from “eyewear” 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 “eyewear”
- How do you pronounce “eyewear”?
- “eyewear” is pronounced /ˈaɪˌwer/, with the stress on the first syllable (aɪ). Press the US or UK button above to hear it spoken.
- How many syllables are in “eyewear”?
- “eyewear” has 2 syllables: aɪ · wer. The stress pattern is Oō.
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