How To Pronounce Colour

colour

Phonemic

/ˈkʌl.ə/

Phonetic

[ˈkʰʌl.əʴ]

Phonemic

/ˈkʌl.ɚ/

In British English, colour is pronounced /ˈkʌl.ə/. The narrow phonetic transcription is [ˈkʰʌl.əʴ]. In American English, it is pronounced /ˈkʌl.ɚ/.

Colour has two syllables, and the main stress falls on the first syllable. The British and American pronunciations are different, so listen to both.

Slashes / / show the phonemic transcription, the sounds that change meaning. Square brackets [ ] show the phonetic transcription, with the finer detail of how the sounds are actually made.

Syllables, Stress And Endings

Syllables And Stress

kʌlə

Colour has two syllables in British English, and the main stress is on the first syllable, shown in colour above. Its stress pattern is Oo, where O is the stressed syllable.

colour + -s

-s (plural, possessive or singular verb) is /z/ after a voiced consonant or a vowel sound.

/ˈkʌl.əz/

/ˈkʌl.ɚz/

colour + -ed

-ed (past tense or past participle) is /d/ after a voiced consonant or a vowel sound.

/ˈkʌl.əd/

/ˈkʌl.ɚd/

colour + -ing

-ing is always /ɪŋ/. In UK English a linking /r/ is added because the spelling ends in -r.

/ˈkʌl.ər.ɪŋ/

/ˈkʌl.ɚ.ɪŋ/

Questions About Colour

How do you pronounce colour in British English?

In British English, colour is pronounced /ˈkʌl.ə/. The narrow phonetic transcription is [ˈkʰʌl.əʴ].

How do you pronounce colour in American English?

In American English, colour is pronounced /ˈkʌl.ɚ/.

How many syllables are in colour?

Colour has two syllables, /kʌl/ + /ə/.

Where is the stress in colour?

The main stress is on the first syllable, /kʌl/.

Do British and American English pronounce colour the same way?

No. British English has /ˈkʌl.ə/ and American English has /ˈkʌl.ɚ/.

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Other Words With The Stress Pattern Oo

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