How to pronounce “austere”
Say “austere” in 2 beats
austere
/ɔˈstɪɹ/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /ɔːstiə/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- ɔɔ
- stɪɹstɪɹstress
- IPA (American)
- /ɔˈstɪɹ/
- IPA (British)
- /ɔːstiə/
- Respelling
- aw-STIR
- Syllables
- 2 — ɔ-STꞮɹ
- Stress
- Stress the second syllable: ɔ-STꞮɹ. “stɪɹ” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
- Part of speech
- adjective
- Difficulty
- Pro — the sounds are ordinary, the rhythm is where it slips
American and British are not the same here
/ɔˈstɪɹ/
/ɔːstiə/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
What “austere” means
- adjective
severely simple
“a stark interior”
- adjective
of a stern or strict bearing or demeanor; forbidding in aspect
“an austere expression”
- adjective
practicing great self-denial; - William James
“Be systematically ascetic...do...something for no other reason than that you would rather not do it”
Say it in a sentence
“The room was austere: a bed, a chair, one lamp.”“austere”, answered
How do you pronounce “austere”?
“austere” is pronounced /ɔˈstɪɹ/ (aw-STIR) in American English and /ɔːstiə/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “stɪɹ”. Build it as ɔ-STꞮɹ, then run the second syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.
How many syllables does “austere” have?
2: ɔ · stɪɹ. The beat lands on the second, “stɪɹ”.
Is “austere” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /ɔˈstɪɹ/ (aw-STIR); British English says /ɔːstiə/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “austere” mean?
As an adjective: severely simple For example: “a stark interior” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.
Where is the stress in “austere”?
Stress the second syllable: ɔ-STꞮɹ. “stɪɹ” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Now say “austere” and see every sound
Record it once and sayit lines your audio up against the target sound by sound — what landed, what slipped, and what it sounded like instead.