How to pronounce “tertiary”
Tertiary is pronounced /ˈtɜːrʃəriː/. It has 3 syllables, and the beat falls on the first one — tɜːr. 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 tɜːr in the right place matters more to a listener than getting every vowel perfect.
Stress pattern Ooo — capital letters mark the stressed beats.
“tertiary” sound by sound
“tertiary” 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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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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ɜːrHold the tongue central and bunched or curled back for the whole vowel, with the R quality present from beginning to end — it is one continuous r-coloured vowel, not a vowel plus an /r/.
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ʃPull the tongue slightly back from the /s/ position, spread the blade wide behind the ridge, round the lips a little, and push air through with no voice.
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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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iːSpread the lips into a smile, push the front of the tongue high and forward, and hold the sound tense and long.
Questions people ask about “tertiary”
- How do you pronounce “tertiary”?
- “tertiary” is pronounced /ˈtɜːrʃəriː/, with the stress on the first syllable (tɜːr). Press the US or UK button above to hear it spoken.
- How many syllables are in “tertiary”?
- “tertiary” has 3 syllables: tɜːr · ʃər · iː. The stress pattern is Ooo.
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