Pronunciation

How to pronounce “church

“church” is pronounced /tʃɝtʃ/ (CHURCH) in American English and /tʃɜːtʃ/ in British English — one syllable.
The sound

Say “church” in one beat

Say it like this

church

/tʃɝtʃ/

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

1 beat
  1. churchtʃɝtʃ
IPA (American)
/tʃɝtʃ/
IPA (British)
/tʃɜːtʃ/
Respelling
CHURCH
Syllables
1 — church
Stress
One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /tʃɝtʃ/ in one unbroken piece rather than clipping the vowel.
Part of speech
noun, verb
Difficulty
Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/tʃɝtʃ/

British

/tʃɜːtʃ/

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

Meaning

What “church” means

  1. noun

    one of the groups of Christians who have their own beliefs and forms of worship

  2. noun

    a place for public (especially Christian) worship

    the church was empty

  3. noun

    a service conducted in a house of worship

    don't be late for church

Say it in a sentence

The old stone church stands at the edge of the village.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

2 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

church”, answered

How do you pronounce “church”?

“church” is pronounced /tʃɝtʃ/ (CHURCH) in American English and /tʃɜːtʃ/ in British English — one syllable. It is one unbroken piece — /tʃɝtʃ/ — with no pause anywhere inside it.

How many syllables does “church” have?

One, despite the 1 vowel letters in the spelling. The whole word is /tʃɝtʃ/ — a single beat.

Is “church” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /tʃɝtʃ/ (CHURCH); British English says /tʃɜːtʃ/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “church” mean?

As a noun: one of the groups of Christians who have their own beliefs and forms of worship For example: “The old stone church stands at the edge of the village.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “church”?

One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /tʃɝtʃ/ in one unbroken piece rather than clipping the vowel.

Practise this word

Now say “church” 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.