How to pronounce “soldier”
Soldier is pronounced /ˈsoʊldʒər/. It has 2 syllables, and the beat falls on the first one — soʊl. 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 soʊl in the right place matters more to a listener than getting every vowel perfect.
Stress pattern Oo — capital letters mark the stressed beats.
“soldier” sound by sound
“soldier” 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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oʊStart with mid-back, lightly rounded lips and glide toward /ʊ/, tightening the rounding as you finish.
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lTouch the tongue tip to the ridge behind the upper teeth and let the voiced air flow around the sides of the tongue.
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dʒThe voiced twin of /tʃ/: stop the air with the tongue at the ridge and release it into a voiced /ʒ/ buzz.
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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 “soldier”
- How do you pronounce “soldier”?
- “soldier” is pronounced /ˈsoʊldʒər/, with the stress on the first syllable (soʊl). Press the US or UK button above to hear it spoken.
- How many syllables are in “soldier”?
- “soldier” has 2 syllables: soʊl · dʒər. The stress pattern is Oo.
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