How to pronounce “genre”
Genre is pronounced /ˈʒɑːnrə/. It has 2 syllables, and the beat falls on the first one — ʒɑːn. 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 ʒɑːn 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 “genre”
✗ Often said: /ˈdʒenrə/ — the spelling, read straight off the page.
✓ Actually: /ˈʒɑːnrə/
Why the two come apart: the “g” is the soft French /ʒ/ of “measure”, not the /dʒ/ of “judge” — it is “ZHAHN-ruh”.
This is why reading English aloud from spelling alone goes wrong so often: the letters of “genre” are not a reliable map of its sounds. The IPA is — each symbol stands for exactly one sound, every time.
“genre” sound by sound
“genre” 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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ʒSame as /ʃ/ — tongue blade behind the ridge, lips slightly rounded — but with the voice turned on.
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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.
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nTouch the tongue tip to the ridge behind the upper teeth, lower the soft palate, and voice the air out through the nose.
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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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əDo almost nothing: leave the tongue in its neutral resting position, mouth slightly open, and make the shortest, weakest possible vowel.
Questions people ask about “genre”
- How do you pronounce “genre”?
- “genre” is pronounced /ˈʒɑːnrə/, with the stress on the first syllable (ʒɑːn). Press the US or UK button above to hear it spoken.
- How many syllables are in “genre”?
- “genre” has 2 syllables: ʒɑːn · rə. The stress pattern is Oo.
- What is the common mispronunciation of “genre”?
- People read it off the spelling as /ˈdʒenrə/, but it is actually /ˈʒɑːnrə/, because the “g” is the soft French /ʒ/ of “measure”, not the /dʒ/ of “judge” — it is “ZHAHN-ruh”.
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