How to pronounce “procedure”
Procedure is pronounced /prəˈsiːdʒər/. It has 3 syllables, and the beat falls on the second one — siː. 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 siː in the right place matters more to a listener than getting every vowel perfect.
Stress pattern oOo — capital letters mark the stressed beats.
“procedure” sound by sound
“procedure” 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.
-
pPress both lips together, build up air behind them, then release with a puff of air (aspiration) when the sound starts a stressed syllable.
-
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.
-
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.
-
iːSpread the lips into a smile, push the front of the tongue high and forward, and hold the sound tense and long.
-
dʒThe voiced twin of /tʃ/: stop the air with the tongue at the ridge and release it into a voiced /ʒ/ buzz.
-
ərThe same r-coloured tongue shape as /ɜːr/ but weak, short and unstressed — the ending of "teacher", "doctor", "sugar".
Questions people ask about “procedure”
- How do you pronounce “procedure”?
- “procedure” is pronounced /prəˈsiːdʒər/, with the stress on the second syllable (siː). Press the US or UK button above to hear it spoken.
- How many syllables are in “procedure”?
- “procedure” has 3 syllables: prə · siː · dʒər. The stress pattern is oOo.
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.