How to pronounce “licensure”
Licensure is pronounced /ˈlaɪsəntʃər/. It has 3 syllables, and the beat falls on the first one — laɪ. 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 laɪ in the right place matters more to a listener than getting every vowel perfect.
Stress pattern Ooo — capital letters mark the stressed beats.
“licensure” sound by sound
“licensure” is built out of 7 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.
-
lTouch the tongue tip to the ridge behind the upper teeth and let the voiced air flow around the sides of the tongue.
-
aɪStart with the mouth open at an /a/-like position and glide up toward /ɪ/, closing the jaw as you go.
-
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.
-
əDo almost nothing: leave the tongue in its neutral resting position, mouth slightly open, and make the shortest, weakest possible vowel.
-
nTouch the tongue tip to the ridge behind the upper teeth, lower the soft palate, and voice the air out through the nose.
-
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.
-
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 “licensure”
Each of these differs from “licensure” 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 “licensure”
- How do you pronounce “licensure”?
- “licensure” is pronounced /ˈlaɪsəntʃər/, with the stress on the first syllable (laɪ). Press the US or UK button above to hear it spoken.
- How many syllables are in “licensure”?
- “licensure” has 3 syllables: laɪ · sən · tʃər. The stress pattern is Ooo.
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.