How to pronounce “marijuana”
Marijuana is pronounced /ˌmerəˈwɑːnə/. It has 4 syllables, and the beat falls on the third one — wɑː. 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 wɑː in the right place matters more to a listener than getting every vowel perfect.
Stress pattern ōoOo — capital letters mark the stressed beats.
“marijuana” sound by sound
“marijuana” 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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mClose the lips, lower the soft palate and let the voiced air come out through the nose.
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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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rCurl the tongue tip back (or bunch the tongue body up) without touching anything, round the lips slightly, and voice — the tongue must never tap the roof of the mouth.
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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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wRound and push the lips forward tightly, raise the back of the tongue, then glide immediately into the following vowel.
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ɑːOpen the mouth wide, drop the tongue low and back, keep the lips unrounded, and hold it long — the doctor-says-"ahh" 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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əDo almost nothing: leave the tongue in its neutral resting position, mouth slightly open, and make the shortest, weakest possible vowel.
Words that rhyme with “marijuana”
Same ending sound from the stressed vowel on — a good way to hear whether you have the vowel right:
Questions people ask about “marijuana”
- How do you pronounce “marijuana”?
- “marijuana” is pronounced /ˌmerəˈwɑːnə/, with the stress on the third syllable (wɑː). Press the US or UK button above to hear it spoken.
- How many syllables are in “marijuana”?
- “marijuana” has 4 syllables: me · rə · wɑː · nə. The stress pattern is ōoOo.
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