Pronunciation

How to pronounce “candour

“candour” is pronounced /ˈkændɚ/ (KAN-dur) in American English and /ˈkandə/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “can”.
The sound

Say “candour” in 2 beats

Say it like this

candour

/ˈkændɚ/

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

2 beats
  1. cankænstress
  2. dour
IPA (American)
/ˈkændɚ/
IPA (British)
/ˈkandə/
Respelling
KAN-dur
Syllables
2 — CAN-dour
Stress
Stress the first syllable: CAN-dour. “can” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Part of speech
noun
Difficulty
Legend — spelling and sound part company here
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˈkændɚ/

British

/ˈkandə/

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

Watch out

Where “candour” goes wrong

  • Often heard

    kan-DOR

    the stress is on KAN and the -our ending is a plain -ur

Meaning

What “candour” means

  1. noun

    the quality of being honest and straightforward in attitude and speech

  2. noun

    ability to make judgments free from discrimination or dishonesty

Say it in a sentence

She answered with a candour that surprised the whole room.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

5 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

candour”, answered

How do you pronounce “candour”?

“candour” is pronounced /ˈkændɚ/ (KAN-dur) in American English and /ˈkandə/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “can”. Build it as CAN-dour, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “candour” have?

2: can · dour. The beat lands on the first, “can”.

Is “candour” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈkændɚ/ (KAN-dur); British English says /ˈkandə/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “candour” mean?

As a noun: the quality of being honest and straightforward in attitude and speech For example: “She answered with a candour that surprised the whole room.” It carries 1 other sense as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “candour”?

Stress the first syllable: CAN-dour. “can” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “candour” 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.