How To Pronounce Suffer

suffer

Phonemic

/ˈsʌf.ə/

Phonetic

[ˈsʌf.əʴ]

Phonemic

/ˈsʌf.ɚ/

In British English, suffer is pronounced /ˈsʌf.ə/. The narrow phonetic transcription is [ˈsʌf.əʴ]. In American English, it is pronounced /ˈsʌf.ɚ/.

Suffer 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

sʌfə

Suffer 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.

suffer + -s

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

/ˈsʌf.əz/

/ˈsʌf.ɚz/

suffer + -ed

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

/ˈsʌf.əd/

/ˈsʌf.ɚd/

suffer + -ing

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

/ˈsʌf.ər.ɪŋ/

/ˈsʌf.ɚ.ɪŋ/

Words That Rhyme With Suffer

buffer

Questions About Suffer

How do you pronounce suffer in British English?

In British English, suffer is pronounced /ˈsʌf.ə/. The narrow phonetic transcription is [ˈsʌf.əʴ].

How do you pronounce suffer in American English?

In American English, suffer is pronounced /ˈsʌf.ɚ/.

How many syllables are in suffer?

Suffer has two syllables, /sʌf/ + /ə/.

Where is the stress in suffer?

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

Do British and American English pronounce suffer the same way?

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

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Other Words With The Stress Pattern Oo

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