How To Pronounce Thunder

thunder

Phonemic

/ˈθʌn.də/

Phonetic

[ˈθʌ̃n.dəʴ]

Phonemic

/ˈθʌn.dɚ/

In British English, thunder is pronounced /ˈθʌn.də/. The narrow phonetic transcription is [ˈθʌ̃n.dəʴ]. In American English, it is pronounced /ˈθʌn.dɚ/.

Thunder 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

θʌndə

Thunder 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.

thunder + -s

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

/ˈθʌn.dəz/

/ˈθʌn.dɚz/

thunder + -ed

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

/ˈθʌn.dəd/

/ˈθʌn.dɚd/

thunder + -ing

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

/ˈθʌn.də.rɪŋ/

/ˈθʌn.dɚ.ɪŋ/

Words That Rhyme With Thunder

Questions About Thunder

How do you pronounce thunder in British English?

In British English, thunder is pronounced /ˈθʌn.də/. The narrow phonetic transcription is [ˈθʌ̃n.dəʴ].

How do you pronounce thunder in American English?

In American English, thunder is pronounced /ˈθʌn.dɚ/.

How many syllables are in thunder?

Thunder has two syllables, /θʌn/ + /də/.

Where is the stress in thunder?

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

Do British and American English pronounce thunder the same way?

No. British English has /ˈθʌn.də/ and American English has /ˈθʌn.dɚ/.

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Other Words With The Stress Pattern Oo

Nearby Words

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