How To Pronounce Sugar

sugar

Phonemic

/ˈʃʊɡ.ə/

Phonetic

[ˈʃʷʊɡ.əʴ]

Phonemic

/ˈʃʊɡ.ɚ/

In British English, sugar is pronounced /ˈʃʊɡ.ə/. The narrow phonetic transcription is [ˈʃʷʊɡ.əʴ]. In American English, it is pronounced /ˈʃʊɡ.ɚ/.

Sugar 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

ʃʊɡə

Sugar 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.

sugar + -s

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

/ˈʃʊɡ.əz/

/ˈʃʊɡ.ɚz/

sugar + -ed

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

/ˈʃʊɡ.əd/

/ˈʃʊɡ.ɚd/

sugar + -ing

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

/ˈʃʊɡ.ər.ɪŋ/

/ˈʃʊɡ.ɚ.ɪŋ/

Questions About Sugar

How do you pronounce sugar in British English?

In British English, sugar is pronounced /ˈʃʊɡ.ə/. The narrow phonetic transcription is [ˈʃʷʊɡ.əʴ].

How do you pronounce sugar in American English?

In American English, sugar is pronounced /ˈʃʊɡ.ɚ/.

How many syllables are in sugar?

Sugar has two syllables, /ʃʊɡ/ + /ə/.

Where is the stress in sugar?

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

Do British and American English pronounce sugar the same way?

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

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Other Words With The Stress Pattern Oo

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