How to pronounce “research”
Research is pronounced /riːˈsɜːrtʃ/. It has 2 syllables, and the beat falls on the second one — sɜːrtʃ. 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 2 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 sɜːrtʃ in the right place matters more to a listener than getting every vowel perfect.
Stress pattern oO — capital letters mark the stressed beats.
The common mispronunciation of “research”
✗ Often said: /ˈresiːrtʃ/ — the spelling, read straight off the page.
✓ Actually: /riːˈsɜːrtʃ/
Why the two come apart: the stress lands on the second syllable (“sɜːrtʃ”), not on the first one — putting the beat at the front is the mistake almost everyone makes; 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 “research” are not a reliable map of its sounds. The IPA is — each symbol stands for exactly one sound, every time.
“research” sound by sound
“research” is built out of 5 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.
-
iːSpread the lips into a smile, push the front of the tongue high and forward, and hold the sound tense and long.
-
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.
-
ɜːrHold the tongue central and bunched or curled back for the whole vowel, with the R quality present from beginning to end — it is one continuous r-coloured vowel, not a vowel plus an /r/.
-
tʃStop the air with the tongue against the ridge, then release it slowly into a /ʃ/, so it is a stop plus a hiss glued into one sound.
Words that rhyme with “research”
Same ending sound from the stressed vowel on — a good way to hear whether you have the vowel right:
Questions people ask about “research”
- How do you pronounce “research”?
- “research” is pronounced /riːˈsɜːrtʃ/, with the stress on the second syllable (sɜːrtʃ). Press the US or UK button above to hear it spoken.
- How many syllables are in “research”?
- “research” has 2 syllables: riː · sɜːrtʃ. The stress pattern is oO.
- What is the common mispronunciation of “research”?
- People read it off the spelling as /ˈresiːrtʃ/, but it is actually /riːˈsɜːrtʃ/, because the stress lands on the second syllable (“sɜːrtʃ”), 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.