Pronunciation

How to pronounce “cupboard

“cupboard” is pronounced /ˈkʌbɚd/ (KUB-urd) in American English and /ˈkʌbəd/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “cup”.
The sound

Say “cupboard” in 2 beats

Say it like this

cupboard

/ˈkʌbɚd/

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

2 beats
  1. cupstress
  2. boardbɚd
IPA (American)
/ˈkʌbɚd/
IPA (British)
/ˈkʌbəd/
Respelling
KUB-urd
Syllables
2 — CUP-board
Stress
Stress the first syllable: CUP-board. “cup” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Part of speech
noun
Difficulty
Pro — the sounds are ordinary, the rhythm is where it slips
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˈkʌbɚd/

British

/ˈkʌbəd/

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

Watch out

Where “cupboard” goes wrong

  • Often heard

    CUP-board

    the p is silent and the two words merge: KUB-urd

Meaning

What “cupboard” means

  1. noun

    a small room (or recess) or cabinet used for storage space

Say it in a sentence

The plates are in the cupboard above the kitchen sink.
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

cupboard”, answered

How do you pronounce “cupboard”?

“cupboard” is pronounced /ˈkʌbɚd/ (KUB-urd) in American English and /ˈkʌbəd/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “cup”. Build it as CUP-board, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “cupboard” have?

2: cup · board. The beat lands on the first, “cup”.

Is “cupboard” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈkʌbɚd/ (KUB-urd); British English says /ˈkʌbəd/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “cupboard” mean?

As a noun: a small room (or recess) or cabinet used for storage space For example: “The plates are in the cupboard above the kitchen sink.”

Where is the stress in “cupboard”?

Stress the first syllable: CUP-board. “cup” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “cupboard” 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.