How to pronounce “juicy”
Juicy is pronounced /ˈdʒuːsiː/. It has 2 syllables, and the beat falls on the first one — dʒuː. 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 dʒuː 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 “juicy”
✗ Often said: /ˈdʒʌɪkiː/ — the spelling, read straight off the page.
✓ Actually: /ˈdʒuːsiː/
Why the two come apart: 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 “juicy” are not a reliable map of its sounds. The IPA is — each symbol stands for exactly one sound, every time.
“juicy” sound by sound
“juicy” 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.
-
dʒThe voiced twin of /tʃ/: stop the air with the tongue at the ridge and release it into a voiced /ʒ/ buzz.
-
uːPush the tongue high and back and round the lips into a tight, forward circle; hold it tense and long.
-
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.
-
iːSpread the lips into a smile, push the front of the tongue high and forward, and hold the sound tense and long.
Words that rhyme with “juicy”
Same ending sound from the stressed vowel on — a good way to hear whether you have the vowel right:
Minimal pairs — words one sound away from “juicy”
Each of these differs from “juicy” 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 “juicy”
- How do you pronounce “juicy”?
- “juicy” is pronounced /ˈdʒuːsiː/, with the stress on the first syllable (dʒuː). Press the US or UK button above to hear it spoken.
- How many syllables are in “juicy”?
- “juicy” has 2 syllables: dʒuː · siː. The stress pattern is Oo.
- What is the common mispronunciation of “juicy”?
- People read it off the spelling as /ˈdʒʌɪkiː/, but it is actually /ˈdʒuːsiː/, because at least one vowel does not say what its spelling suggests — English vowel letters are not reliable here.
Stop looking words up one at a time
You just looked up one word. PHONO puts the IPA above every word of whatever you are reading — in your browser, in a PDF, in any app — the moment you select it. An offline pronunciation dictionary, US and UK audio, one hotkey.