How to pronounce “future”
Future is pronounced /ˈfjuːtʃər/. It has 2 syllables, and the beat falls on the first one — fjuː. 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 fjuː in the right place matters more to a listener than getting every vowel perfect.
Stress pattern Oo — capital letters mark the stressed beats.
“future” sound by sound
“future” 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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fRest the upper teeth lightly on the lower lip and push air through the gap without voicing.
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jRaise the front of the tongue high toward the hard palate as if starting /iː/, then glide straight into the following vowel.
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uːPush the tongue high and back and round the lips into a tight, forward circle; hold it tense and long.
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tʃStop the air with the tongue against the ridge, then release it slowly into a /ʃ/, so it is a stop plus a hiss glued into one sound.
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ərThe same r-coloured tongue shape as /ɜːr/ but weak, short and unstressed — the ending of "teacher", "doctor", "sugar".
Words that rhyme with “future”
Same ending sound from the stressed vowel on — a good way to hear whether you have the vowel right:
Questions people ask about “future”
- How do you pronounce “future”?
- “future” is pronounced /ˈfjuːtʃər/, with the stress on the first syllable (fjuː). Press the US or UK button above to hear it spoken.
- How many syllables are in “future”?
- “future” has 2 syllables: fjuː · tʃər. The stress pattern is Oo.
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