How to pronounce “restaurant”
Restaurant is pronounced /ˈrestərˌɑːnt/. It has 3 syllables, and the beat falls on the first one — re. 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 re in the right place matters more to a listener than getting every vowel perfect.
Stress pattern Ooō — capital letters mark the stressed beats.
The common mispronunciation of “restaurant”
✗ Often said: /ˈrestɔːrænt/ — the spelling, read straight off the page.
✓ Actually: /ˈrestərˌɑːnt/
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; 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 “restaurant” are not a reliable map of its sounds. The IPA is — each symbol stands for exactly one sound, every time.
“restaurant” sound by sound
“restaurant” 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.
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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.
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eHold the tongue mid-high and forward with the jaw slightly open and lips relaxed and unrounded.
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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.
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tTouch the tongue tip to the bumpy ridge just behind the upper teeth, block 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".
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ɑːOpen the mouth wide, drop the tongue low and back, keep the lips unrounded, and hold it long — the doctor-says-"ahh" vowel.
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nTouch the tongue tip to the ridge behind the upper teeth, lower the soft palate, and voice the air out through the nose.
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tTouch the tongue tip to the bumpy ridge just behind the upper teeth, block the air, then release it with a puff.
Questions people ask about “restaurant”
- How do you pronounce “restaurant”?
- “restaurant” is pronounced /ˈrestərˌɑːnt/, with the stress on the first syllable (re). Press the US or UK button above to hear it spoken.
- How many syllables are in “restaurant”?
- “restaurant” has 3 syllables: re · stər · ɑːnt. The stress pattern is Ooō.
- What is the common mispronunciation of “restaurant”?
- People read it off the spelling as /ˈrestɔːrænt/, but it is actually /ˈrestərˌɑːnt/, because the unstressed vowels flatten all the way down to /ə/ — English swallows them, so they never sound the way they are written.
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