How to pronounce “senior”
Senior is pronounced /ˈsiːnjər/. It has 2 syllables, and the beat falls on the first 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 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 siː in the right place matters more to a listener than getting every vowel perfect.
Stress pattern Oo — capital letters mark the stressed beats.
“senior” sound by sound
“senior” 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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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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iːSpread the lips into a smile, push the front of the tongue high and forward, and hold the sound tense and long.
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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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jRaise the front of the tongue high toward the hard palate as if starting /iː/, then glide straight into the following vowel.
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ərThe same r-coloured tongue shape as /ɜːr/ but weak, short and unstressed — the ending of "teacher", "doctor", "sugar".
Questions people ask about “senior”
- How do you pronounce “senior”?
- “senior” is pronounced /ˈsiːnjər/, with the stress on the first syllable (siː). Press the US or UK button above to hear it spoken.
- How many syllables are in “senior”?
- “senior” has 2 syllables: siː · njər. The stress pattern is Oo.
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