How to pronounce “doctor”
Say “doctor” in 2 beats
doctor
/ˈdɑktɚ/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /dɒktə/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- docdɑkstress
- tortɚ
- IPA (American)
- /ˈdɑktɚ/
- IPA (British)
- /dɒktə/
- Also accepted
- /ˈdɔktɚ/
- Respelling
- DAHK-tuh
- Syllables
- 2 — DOC-tor
- Stress
- Stress the first syllable: DOC-tor. “doc” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
- Part of speech
- noun, verb
- Difficulty
- Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
American and British are not the same here
/ˈdɑktɚ/
/dɒktə/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
What “doctor” means
- noun
a licensed medical practitioner
“I felt so bad I went to see my doctor”
- noun
(Roman Catholic Church) a title conferred on 33 saints who distinguished themselves through the orthodoxy of their theological teaching
“the Doctors of the Church greatly influenced Christian thought down to the late Middle Ages”
- noun
children take the roles of physician or patient or nurse and pretend they are at the physician's office
“the children explored each other's bodies by playing the game of doctor”
Say it in a sentence
“She became a doctor after years of long, hard study.”“doctor”, answered
How do you pronounce “doctor”?
“doctor” is pronounced /ˈdɑktɚ/ (DAHK-tuh) in American English and /dɒktə/ in British English, and /ˈdɔktɚ/ is also accepted — 2 syllables, stressed on “doc”. Build it as DOC-tor, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.
How many syllables does “doctor” have?
2: doc · tor. The beat lands on the first, “doc”.
Is “doctor” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /ˈdɑktɚ/ (DAHK-tuh); British English says /dɒktə/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “doctor” mean?
As a noun: a licensed medical practitioner For example: “I felt so bad I went to see my doctor” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.
Where is the stress in “doctor”?
Stress the first syllable: DOC-tor. “doc” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Now say “doctor” 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.