How to pronounce “surveyor”
Surveyor is pronounced /sərˈveɪər/. It has 3 syllables, and the beat falls on the second one — veɪ. 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 veɪ in the right place matters more to a listener than getting every vowel perfect.
Stress pattern oOo — capital letters mark the stressed beats.
“surveyor” sound by sound
“surveyor” 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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ərThe same r-coloured tongue shape as /ɜːr/ but weak, short and unstressed — the ending of "teacher", "doctor", "sugar".
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vUpper teeth on the lower lip, push air through the gap, and add voicing so the lip buzzes.
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eɪStart at the /e/ position and glide upward and forward toward /ɪ/ — the jaw closes as you say it.
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ərThe same r-coloured tongue shape as /ɜːr/ but weak, short and unstressed — the ending of "teacher", "doctor", "sugar".
Words that rhyme with “surveyor”
Same ending sound from the stressed vowel on — a good way to hear whether you have the vowel right:
Questions people ask about “surveyor”
- How do you pronounce “surveyor”?
- “surveyor” is pronounced /sərˈveɪər/, with the stress on the second syllable (veɪ). Press the US or UK button above to hear it spoken.
- How many syllables are in “surveyor”?
- “surveyor” has 3 syllables: sər · veɪ · ər. The stress pattern is oOo.
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