How to pronounce “military”
Military is pronounced /ˈmɪləˌteriː/. It has 4 syllables, and the beat falls on the first one — mɪ. 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 mɪ in the right place matters more to a listener than getting every vowel perfect.
Stress pattern Ooōo — capital letters mark the stressed beats.
The common mispronunciation of “military”
✗ Often said: /ˈmɪlɪtɑːriː/ — the spelling, read straight off the page.
✓ Actually: /ˈmɪləˌteriː/
Why the two come apart: 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 “military” are not a reliable map of its sounds. The IPA is — each symbol stands for exactly one sound, every time.
“military” sound by sound
“military” 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.
-
mClose the lips, lower the soft palate and let the voiced air come out through the nose.
-
ɪRelax the tongue slightly lower and further back than for /iː/, keep the lips neutral, and make it short and lax.
-
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.
-
tTouch the tongue tip to the bumpy ridge just behind the upper teeth, block the air, then release it with a puff.
-
eHold the tongue mid-high and forward with the jaw slightly open and lips relaxed and unrounded.
-
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.
-
iːSpread the lips into a smile, push the front of the tongue high and forward, and hold the sound tense and long.
Words that rhyme with “military”
Same ending sound from the stressed vowel on — a good way to hear whether you have the vowel right:
Questions people ask about “military”
- How do you pronounce “military”?
- “military” is pronounced /ˈmɪləˌteriː/, with the stress on the first syllable (mɪ). Press the US or UK button above to hear it spoken.
- How many syllables are in “military”?
- “military” has 4 syllables: mɪ · lə · te · riː. The stress pattern is Ooōo.
- What is the common mispronunciation of “military”?
- People read it off the spelling as /ˈmɪlɪtɑːriː/, but it is actually /ˈmɪləˌteriː/, because the unstressed vowels flatten all the way down to /ə/ — English swallows them, so they never sound the way they are written.
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.