How to pronounce “gesture”
Gesture is pronounced /ˈdʒestʃər/. It has 2 syllables, and the beat falls on the first one — dʒes. 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 dʒes in the right place matters more to a listener than getting every vowel perfect.
Stress pattern Oo — capital letters mark the stressed beats.
“gesture” sound by sound
“gesture” 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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dʒThe voiced twin of /tʃ/: stop the air with the tongue at the ridge and release it into a voiced /ʒ/ buzz.
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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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sHold the tongue tip near (not touching) the ridge behind the upper teeth and force a narrow stream of air down the groove of the tongue.
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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".
Minimal pairs — words one sound away from “gesture”
Each of these differs from “gesture” 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 “gesture”
- How do you pronounce “gesture”?
- “gesture” is pronounced /ˈdʒestʃər/, with the stress on the first syllable (dʒes). Press the US or UK button above to hear it spoken.
- How many syllables are in “gesture”?
- “gesture” has 2 syllables: dʒes · tʃər. The stress pattern is Oo.
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