How to pronounce “mediocre”
Mediocre is pronounced /ˌmiːdiːˈoʊkər/. It has 4 syllables, and the beat falls on the third one — oʊ. 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 oʊ in the right place matters more to a listener than getting every vowel perfect.
Stress pattern ōoOo — capital letters mark the stressed beats.
The common mispronunciation of “mediocre”
✗ Often said: /ˈmedɪɑːkr/ — the spelling, read straight off the page.
✓ Actually: /ˌmiːdiːˈoʊkər/
Why the two come apart: the stress lands on the third syllable (“oʊ”), 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 “mediocre” are not a reliable map of its sounds. The IPA is — each symbol stands for exactly one sound, every time.
“mediocre” sound by sound
“mediocre” 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.
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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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iːSpread the lips into a smile, push the front of the tongue high and forward, and hold the sound tense and long.
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dSame tongue position as /t/ — tip on the ridge behind the upper teeth — but voice the sound and release it without aspiration.
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iːSpread the lips into a smile, push the front of the tongue high and forward, and hold the sound tense and long.
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oʊStart with mid-back, lightly rounded lips and glide toward /ʊ/, tightening the rounding as you finish.
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kRaise the back of the tongue to touch the soft palate, seal the air, then release it with a puff.
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ərThe same r-coloured tongue shape as /ɜːr/ but weak, short and unstressed — the ending of "teacher", "doctor", "sugar".
Words that rhyme with “mediocre”
Same ending sound from the stressed vowel on — a good way to hear whether you have the vowel right:
Questions people ask about “mediocre”
- How do you pronounce “mediocre”?
- “mediocre” is pronounced /ˌmiːdiːˈoʊkər/, with the stress on the third syllable (oʊ). Press the US or UK button above to hear it spoken.
- How many syllables are in “mediocre”?
- “mediocre” has 4 syllables: miː · diː · oʊ · kər. The stress pattern is ōoOo.
- What is the common mispronunciation of “mediocre”?
- People read it off the spelling as /ˈmedɪɑːkr/, but it is actually /ˌmiːdiːˈoʊkər/, because the stress lands on the third syllable (“oʊ”), not on the first one — putting the beat at the front is the mistake almost everyone makes.
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