How to pronounce “luxurious”
Luxurious is pronounced /ləɡˈʒɜːriːəs/. It has 4 syllables, and the beat falls on the second one — ʒɜːr. 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 4 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 ʒɜːr in the right place matters more to a listener than getting every vowel perfect.
Stress pattern oOoo — capital letters mark the stressed beats.
The common mispronunciation of “luxurious”
✗ Often said: /ˈlʌksɜːrɪaʊs/ — the spelling, read straight off the page.
✓ Actually: /ləɡˈʒɜːriːəs/
Why the two come apart: the stress lands on the second syllable (“ʒɜːr”), 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; 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 “luxurious” are not a reliable map of its sounds. The IPA is — each symbol stands for exactly one sound, every time.
“luxurious” sound by sound
“luxurious” 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.
-
lTouch the tongue tip to the ridge behind the upper teeth and let the voiced air flow around the sides of the tongue.
-
əDo almost nothing: leave the tongue in its neutral resting position, mouth slightly open, and make the shortest, weakest possible vowel.
-
ɡBack of the tongue seals against the soft palate and releases while the voice is already on — no puff of air.
-
ʒSame as /ʃ/ — tongue blade behind the ridge, lips slightly rounded — but with the voice turned on.
-
ɜːrHold the tongue central and bunched or curled back for the whole vowel, with the R quality present from beginning to end — it is one continuous r-coloured vowel, not a vowel plus an /r/.
-
iːSpread the lips into a smile, push the front of the tongue high and forward, and hold the sound tense and long.
-
əDo almost nothing: leave the tongue in its neutral resting position, mouth slightly open, and make the shortest, weakest possible vowel.
-
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.
Questions people ask about “luxurious”
- How do you pronounce “luxurious”?
- “luxurious” is pronounced /ləɡˈʒɜːriːəs/, with the stress on the second syllable (ʒɜːr). Press the US or UK button above to hear it spoken.
- How many syllables are in “luxurious”?
- “luxurious” has 4 syllables: ləɡ · ʒɜːr · iː · əs. The stress pattern is oOoo.
- What is the common mispronunciation of “luxurious”?
- People read it off the spelling as /ˈlʌksɜːrɪaʊs/, but it is actually /ləɡˈʒɜːriːəs/, because the stress lands on the second syllable (“ʒɜːr”), not on the first one — putting the beat at the front is the mistake almost everyone makes.
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.