How to pronounce “ivory”
Ivory is pronounced /ˈaɪvəriː/. It has 3 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 3 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 Ooo — capital letters mark the stressed beats.
The common mispronunciation of “ivory”
✗ Often said: /ˈɪvɔːriː/ — the spelling, read straight off the page.
✓ Actually: /ˈaɪvəriː/
Why the two come apart: the unstressed vowels flatten all the way down to /ə/ — English swallows them, so they never sound the way they are written; also, at least one vowel does not say what its spelling suggests — English vowel letters are not reliable here; also, a consonant letter takes an unexpected sound value here, so reading it "as written" comes out wrong.
This is why reading English aloud from spelling alone goes wrong so often: the letters of “ivory” are not a reliable map of its sounds. The IPA is — each symbol stands for exactly one sound, every time.
“ivory” sound by sound
“ivory” 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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vUpper teeth on the lower lip, push air through the gap, and add voicing so the lip buzzes.
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ərThe same r-coloured tongue shape as /ɜːr/ but weak, short and unstressed — the ending of "teacher", "doctor", "sugar".
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iːSpread the lips into a smile, push the front of the tongue high and forward, and hold the sound tense and long.
Minimal pairs — words one sound away from “ivory”
Each of these differs from “ivory” 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 “ivory”
- How do you pronounce “ivory”?
- “ivory” is pronounced /ˈaɪvəriː/, with the stress on the first syllable (aɪ). Press the US or UK button above to hear it spoken.
- How many syllables are in “ivory”?
- “ivory” has 3 syllables: aɪ · vər · iː. The stress pattern is Ooo.
- What is the common mispronunciation of “ivory”?
- People read it off the spelling as /ˈɪvɔːriː/, but it is actually /ˈaɪvəriː/, because the unstressed vowels flatten all the way down to /ə/ — English swallows them, so they never sound the way they are written.
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