How to pronounce “warrior”
Warrior is pronounced /ˈwɔːriːər/. It has 3 syllables, and the beat falls on the first one — wɔː. 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 wɔː in the right place matters more to a listener than getting every vowel perfect.
Stress pattern Ooo — capital letters mark the stressed beats.
“warrior” sound by sound
“warrior” 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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wRound and push the lips forward tightly, raise the back of the tongue, then glide immediately into the following vowel.
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ɔːTongue low and back like /ɑː/, but round the lips and push them forward slightly; the sound is long and rounded.
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rCurl the tongue tip back (or bunch the tongue body up) without touching anything, round the lips slightly, and voice — the tongue must never tap the roof of the mouth.
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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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ərThe same r-coloured tongue shape as /ɜːr/ but weak, short and unstressed — the ending of "teacher", "doctor", "sugar".
Minimal pairs — words one sound away from “warrior”
Each of these differs from “warrior” 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 “warrior”
- How do you pronounce “warrior”?
- “warrior” is pronounced /ˈwɔːriːər/, with the stress on the first syllable (wɔː). Press the US or UK button above to hear it spoken.
- How many syllables are in “warrior”?
- “warrior” has 3 syllables: wɔː · riː · ər. The stress pattern is Ooo.
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