How To Pronounce Doctor

doctor

Phonemic

/ˈdɒk.tə/

Phonetic

[ˈdʷɒk.təʴ]

Phonemic

/ˈdɑːk.tɚ/

In British English, doctor is pronounced /ˈdɒk.tə/. The narrow phonetic transcription is [ˈdʷɒk.təʴ]. In American English, it is pronounced /ˈdɑːk.tɚ/.

Doctor 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

dɒktə

Doctor 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.

doctor + -s

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

/ˈdɒk.təz/

/ˈdɑːk.tɚz/

doctor + -ed

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

/ˈdɒk.təd/

/ˈdɑːk.tɚd/

doctor + -ing

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

/ˈdɒk.tə.rɪŋ/

/ˈdɑːk.tɚ.ɪŋ/

Words That Rhyme With Doctor

Questions About Doctor

How do you pronounce doctor in British English?

In British English, doctor is pronounced /ˈdɒk.tə/. The narrow phonetic transcription is [ˈdʷɒk.təʴ].

How do you pronounce doctor in American English?

In American English, doctor is pronounced /ˈdɑːk.tɚ/.

How many syllables are in doctor?

Doctor has two syllables, /dɒk/ + /tə/.

Where is the stress in doctor?

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

Do British and American English pronounce doctor the same way?

No. British English has /ˈdɒk.tə/ and American English has /ˈdɑːk.tɚ/.

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Other Words With The Stress Pattern Oo

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