How to pronounce “lieutenant”
Lieutenant is pronounced /luːˈtenənt/. It has 3 syllables, and the beat falls on the second one — te. 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 te 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 “lieutenant”
✗ Often said: /ˈlaɪʌtenænt/ — the spelling, read straight off the page.
✓ Actually: /luːˈtenənt/
Why the two come apart: the stress lands on the second syllable (“te”), not on the first one — putting the beat at the front is the mistake almost everyone makes; also, 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.
This is why reading English aloud from spelling alone goes wrong so often: the letters of “lieutenant” are not a reliable map of its sounds. The IPA is — each symbol stands for exactly one sound, every time.
“lieutenant” sound by sound
“lieutenant” is built out of 8 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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lTouch the tongue tip to the ridge behind the upper teeth and let the voiced air flow around the sides of the tongue.
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uːPush the tongue high and back and round the lips into a tight, forward circle; hold it tense and long.
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tTouch the tongue tip to the bumpy ridge just behind the upper teeth, block the air, then release it with a puff.
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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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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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əDo almost nothing: leave the tongue in its neutral resting position, mouth slightly open, and make the shortest, weakest possible 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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tTouch the tongue tip to the bumpy ridge just behind the upper teeth, block the air, then release it with a puff.
Words that rhyme with “lieutenant”
Same ending sound from the stressed vowel on — a good way to hear whether you have the vowel right:
Questions people ask about “lieutenant”
- How do you pronounce “lieutenant”?
- “lieutenant” is pronounced /luːˈtenənt/, with the stress on the second syllable (te). Press the US or UK button above to hear it spoken.
- How many syllables are in “lieutenant”?
- “lieutenant” has 3 syllables: luː · te · nənt. The stress pattern is oOo.
- What is the common mispronunciation of “lieutenant”?
- People read it off the spelling as /ˈlaɪʌtenænt/, but it is actually /luːˈtenənt/, because the stress lands on the second syllable (“te”), not on the first one — putting the beat at the front is the mistake almost everyone makes.
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