Pronunciation

How to pronounce “arduous

“arduous” is pronounced /ˈɑɹdʒuəs/ (AHR-joo-uhs) in American English and /ɑːdjuːəs/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “ɑɹ”.
The sound

Say “arduous” in 3 beats

Say it like this

arduous

/ˈɑɹdʒuəs/

The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /ɑːdjuːəs/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.

3 beats
  1. ɑɹɑɹstress
  2. dʒudʒu
  3. əsəs
IPA (American)
/ˈɑɹdʒuəs/
IPA (British)
/ɑːdjuːəs/
Respelling
AHR-joo-uhs
Syllables
3 — Ɑɹ-dʒu-əs
Stress
Stress the first syllable: Ɑɹ-dʒu-əs. “ɑɹ” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Part of speech
adjective
Difficulty
Pro — the sounds are ordinary, the rhythm is where it slips
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˈɑɹdʒuəs/

British

/ɑːdjuːəs/

No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.

Meaning

What “arduous” means

  1. adjective

    characterized by effort to the point of exhaustion; especially physical effort

    worked their arduous way up the mining valley

  2. adjective

    taxing to the utmost; testing powers of endurance; ; ; - F.D.Roosevelt

    his final, straining burst of speed

  3. adjective

    difficult to accomplish; demanding considerable mental effort and skill

    the arduous work of preparing a dictionary

Say it in a sentence

The climb was arduous, but the view repaid every step.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

6 sounds, in the order you say them

Each sound has its own page: where the tongue goes, what it is usually confused with, and words to drill it on.

Questions

arduous”, answered

How do you pronounce “arduous”?

“arduous” is pronounced /ˈɑɹdʒuəs/ (AHR-joo-uhs) in American English and /ɑːdjuːəs/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “ɑɹ”. Build it as Ɑɹ-dʒu-əs, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “arduous” have?

3: ɑɹ · dʒu · əs. The beat lands on the first, “ɑɹ”.

Is “arduous” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈɑɹdʒuəs/ (AHR-joo-uhs); British English says /ɑːdjuːəs/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “arduous” mean?

As an adjective: characterized by effort to the point of exhaustion; especially physical effort For example: “worked their arduous way up the mining valley” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “arduous”?

Stress the first syllable: Ɑɹ-dʒu-əs. “ɑɹ” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “arduous” and see every sound

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