How to pronounce “receiver”
Receiver is pronounced /rəˈsiːvər/. 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.
The common mispronunciation of “receiver”
✗ Often said: /ˈrekeɪvər/ — the spelling, read straight off the page.
✓ Actually: /rəˈsiːvər/
Why the two come apart: the stress lands on the second syllable (“siː”), 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 “receiver” are not a reliable map of its sounds. The IPA is — each symbol stands for exactly one sound, every time.
“receiver” sound by sound
“receiver” is built out of 6 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.
-
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.
-
vUpper teeth on the lower lip, push air through the gap, and add voicing so the lip buzzes.
-
ərThe same r-coloured tongue shape as /ɜːr/ but weak, short and unstressed — the ending of "teacher", "doctor", "sugar".
Words that rhyme with “receiver”
Same ending sound from the stressed vowel on — a good way to hear whether you have the vowel right:
Minimal pairs — words one sound away from “receiver”
Each of these differs from “receiver” by exactly one sound. If you can say both of a pair and hear the difference, that sound is under control:
Questions people ask about “receiver”
- How do you pronounce “receiver”?
- “receiver” is pronounced /rəˈsiːvər/, with the stress on the second syllable (siː). Press the US or UK button above to hear it spoken.
- How many syllables are in “receiver”?
- “receiver” has 3 syllables: rə · siː · vər. The stress pattern is oOo.
- What is the common mispronunciation of “receiver”?
- People read it off the spelling as /ˈrekeɪvər/, but it is actually /rəˈsiːvər/, because the stress lands on the second syllable (“siː”), 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.