Pronunciation

How to pronounce “fiduciary

“fiduciary” is pronounced /fɪˈduʃiˌɛɹi/ (fih-DOO-shee-air-ee) in American English and /fɪˈdjuːʃəri/ in British English — 5 syllables, stressed on “du”.
The sound

Say “fiduciary” in 5 beats

Say it like this

fiduciary

/fɪˈduʃiˌɛɹi/

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

5 beats
  1. dudustress
  2. ʃiʃi
  3. ɛɛ
  4. ɹiɹi
IPA (American)
/fɪˈduʃiˌɛɹi/
IPA (British)
/fɪˈdjuːʃəri/
Respelling
fih-DOO-shee-air-ee
Syllables
5 — fɪ-DU-ʃi-ɛ-ɹi
Stress
Stress the second syllable: fɪ-DU-ʃi-ɛ-ɹi. “du” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Part of speech
noun, adjective
Difficulty
Pro — the sounds are ordinary, the rhythm is where it slips
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/fɪˈduʃiˌɛɹi/

British

/fɪˈdjuːʃəri/

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

Watch out

Where “fiduciary” goes wrong

  • Often heard

    fid-YOO-kee-ary

    the ci is a sh sound: fih-DOO-shee-air-ee

Meaning

What “fiduciary” means

  1. noun

    a person who holds assets in trust for a beneficiary

    it is illegal for a fiduciary to misappropriate money for personal gain

  2. adjective

    relating to or of the nature of a legal trust (i.e. the holding of something in trust for another)

    a fiduciary contract

Say it in a sentence

Trustees have a fiduciary duty to act in the members' interest.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

8 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

fiduciary”, answered

How do you pronounce “fiduciary”?

“fiduciary” is pronounced /fɪˈduʃiˌɛɹi/ (fih-DOO-shee-air-ee) in American English and /fɪˈdjuːʃəri/ in British English — 5 syllables, stressed on “du”. Build it as fɪ-DU-ʃi-ɛ-ɹi, then run the second syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “fiduciary” have?

5: fɪ · du · ʃi · ɛ · ɹi. The beat lands on the second, “du”.

Is “fiduciary” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /fɪˈduʃiˌɛɹi/ (fih-DOO-shee-air-ee); British English says /fɪˈdjuːʃəri/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “fiduciary” mean?

As a noun: a person who holds assets in trust for a beneficiary For example: “it is illegal for a fiduciary to misappropriate money for personal gain” It carries 1 other sense as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “fiduciary”?

Stress the second syllable: fɪ-DU-ʃi-ɛ-ɹi. “du” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “fiduciary” and see every sound

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