How to pronounce “unused”
Unused is pronounced /əˈnjuːzd/. It has 2 syllables, and the beat falls on the second one — njuːzd. 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 njuːzd 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 “unused”
✗ Often said: /ˈʌnʌsed/ — the spelling, read straight off the page.
✓ Actually: /əˈnjuːzd/
Why the two come apart: the stress lands on the second syllable (“njuːzd”), not on the first one — putting the beat at the front is the mistake almost everyone makes; also, the unstressed vowels flatten all the way down to /ə/ — English swallows them, so they never sound the way they are written; also, at least one vowel does not say what its spelling suggests — English vowel letters are not reliable here; also, a consonant letter takes an unexpected sound value here, so reading it "as written" comes out wrong.
This is why reading English aloud from spelling alone goes wrong so often: the letters of “unused” are not a reliable map of its sounds. The IPA is — each symbol stands for exactly one sound, every time.
“unused” sound by sound
“unused” is built out of 6 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.
-
əDo almost nothing: leave the tongue in its neutral resting position, mouth slightly open, and make the shortest, weakest possible vowel.
-
nTouch the tongue tip to the ridge behind the upper teeth, lower the soft palate, and voice the air out through the nose.
-
jRaise the front of the tongue high toward the hard palate as if starting /iː/, then glide straight into the following vowel.
-
uːPush the tongue high and back and round the lips into a tight, forward circle; hold it tense and long.
-
zExactly the /s/ tongue position with voicing added, so the airflow buzzes.
-
dSame tongue position as /t/ — tip on the ridge behind the upper teeth — but voice the sound and release it without aspiration.
Words that rhyme with “unused”
Same ending sound from the stressed vowel on — a good way to hear whether you have the vowel right:
Minimal pairs — words one sound away from “unused”
Each of these differs from “unused” by exactly one sound. If you can say both of a pair and hear the difference, that sound is under control:
Questions people ask about “unused”
- How do you pronounce “unused”?
- “unused” is pronounced /əˈnjuːzd/, with the stress on the second syllable (njuːzd). Press the US or UK button above to hear it spoken.
- How many syllables are in “unused”?
- “unused” has 2 syllables: ə · njuːzd. The stress pattern is oO.
- What is the common mispronunciation of “unused”?
- People read it off the spelling as /ˈʌnʌsed/, but it is actually /əˈnjuːzd/, because the stress lands on the second syllable (“njuːzd”), not on the first one — putting the beat at the front is the mistake almost everyone makes.
Stop looking words up one at a time
You just looked up one word. PHONO puts the IPA above every word of whatever you are reading — in your browser, in a PDF, in any app — the moment you select it. An offline pronunciation dictionary, US and UK audio, one hotkey.