How To Pronounce Sure

sure

Phonemic

/ʃɔː/or/ʃʊə/

Phonetic

[ʃʷɔːʴ]

Phonemic

/ʃʊr/

In British English, sure is pronounced /ʃɔː/ or /ʃʊə/. The narrow phonetic transcription is [ʃʷɔːʴ]. In American English, it is pronounced /ʃʊr/.

Sure has one 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

ʃɔː

Sure has one syllable in British English.

sure + -er

-er (comparative) is /ə/ in UK English and /ɚ/ in US English. In UK English a linking /r/ is added because the spelling ends in -r.

/ˈʃɔː.rə/or/ˈʃʊə.rə/

/ˈʃʊr.ɚ/

sure + -est

-est (superlative) is always /ɪst/. In UK English a linking /r/ is added because the spelling ends in -r.

/ˈʃɔː.rɪst/or/ˈʃʊə.rɪst/

/ˈʃʊr.ɪst/

Words That Rhyme With Sure

Questions About Sure

How do you pronounce sure in British English?

In British English, sure is pronounced /ʃɔː/ or /ʃʊə/. The narrow phonetic transcription is [ʃʷɔːʴ].

How do you pronounce sure in American English?

In American English, sure is pronounced /ʃʊr/.

Do British and American English pronounce sure the same way?

No. British English has /ʃɔː/ and American English has /ʃʊr/.

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