How to pronounce “rhythm”
Rhythm is pronounced /ˈrɪðəm/. It has 2 syllables, and the beat falls on the first one — rɪ. 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 rɪ 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 “rhythm”
✗ Often said: /ˈrhɪθm/ — the spelling, read straight off the page.
✓ Actually: /ˈrɪðəm/
Why the two come apart: the silent “h” is not pronounced, even though the spelling begs you to say it; also, the unstressed vowels flatten all the way down to /ə/ — English swallows them, so they never sound the way they are written.
This is why reading English aloud from spelling alone goes wrong so often: the letters of “rhythm” are not a reliable map of its sounds. The IPA is — each symbol stands for exactly one sound, every time.
“rhythm” sound by sound
“rhythm” 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.
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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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ɪRelax the tongue slightly lower and further back than for /iː/, keep the lips neutral, and make it short and lax.
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ðSame tongue-to-teeth position as /θ/, but turn the voice on so the tongue tip vibrates against the teeth.
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əDo almost nothing: leave the tongue in its neutral resting position, mouth slightly open, and make the shortest, weakest possible vowel.
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mClose the lips, lower the soft palate and let the voiced air come out through the nose.
Silent letters in “rhythm”
Letters you write but never say — this is the single biggest reason the word trips people up:
- hThe letter “h”Silent “h” — write it, but do not let it reach your mouth.
Questions people ask about “rhythm”
- How do you pronounce “rhythm”?
- “rhythm” is pronounced /ˈrɪðəm/, with the stress on the first syllable (rɪ). Press the US or UK button above to hear it spoken.
- How many syllables are in “rhythm”?
- “rhythm” has 2 syllables: rɪ · ðəm. The stress pattern is Oo.
- What is the common mispronunciation of “rhythm”?
- People read it off the spelling as /ˈrhɪθm/, but it is actually /ˈrɪðəm/, because the silent “h” is not pronounced, even though the spelling begs you to say it.
- Does “rhythm” have any silent letters?
- Yes — silent “h”.
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