How to pronounce “extraordinary”
Say “extraordinary” in 5 beats
extraordinary
/ɪkˈstɹɔɹdəˌnɛɹi/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /ɪkˈstrɔːdɪnəri/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- extɪk
- raorstɹɔɹstress
- dində
- arnɛ
- yɹi
- IPA (American)
- /ɪkˈstɹɔɹdəˌnɛɹi/
- IPA (British)
- /ɪkˈstrɔːdɪnəri/
- Respelling
- ik-STROR-duh-nair-ee
- Syllables
- 5 — ext-RAOR-din-ar-y
- Stress
- Stress the second syllable: ext-RAOR-din-ar-y. “raor” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall 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
/ɪkˈstɹɔɹdəˌnɛɹi/
/ɪkˈstrɔːdɪnəri/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
Where “extraordinary” goes wrong
- Often heard
“extra-ORDINARY”
the extra- collapses into ik-STROR-: it is not said as extra plus ordinary
What “extraordinary” means
- adjective
beyond what is ordinary or usual; highly unusual or exceptional or remarkable
“extraordinary authority”
- adjective
far more than usual or expected
“an extraordinary desire for approval”
- adjective
(of an official) serving an unusual or special function in addition to those of the regular officials
“an ambassador extraordinary”
Say it in a sentence
“The view from the top was genuinely extraordinary.”“extraordinary”, answered
How do you pronounce “extraordinary”?
“extraordinary” is pronounced /ɪkˈstɹɔɹdəˌnɛɹi/ (ik-STROR-duh-nair-ee) in American English and /ɪkˈstrɔːdɪnəri/ in British English — 5 syllables, stressed on “raor”. Build it as ext-RAOR-din-ar-y, then run the second syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.
How many syllables does “extraordinary” have?
5: ext · raor · din · ar · y. The beat lands on the second, “raor”.
Is “extraordinary” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /ɪkˈstɹɔɹdəˌnɛɹi/ (ik-STROR-duh-nair-ee); British English says /ɪkˈstrɔːdɪnəri/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “extraordinary” mean?
As an adjective: beyond what is ordinary or usual; highly unusual or exceptional or remarkable For example: “extraordinary authority” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.
Where is the stress in “extraordinary”?
Stress the second syllable: ext-RAOR-din-ar-y. “raor” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Now say “extraordinary” 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.