Pronunciation

How to pronounce “leisure

“leisure” is pronounced /ˈliʒɚ/ (LEE-zhur (UK LEZH-ur)) in American English and /ˈlɛʒə/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “li”.
The sound

Say “leisure” in 2 beats

Say it like this

leisure

/ˈliʒɚ/

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

2 beats
  1. lilistress
  2. ʒɚʒɚ
IPA (American)
/ˈliʒɚ/
IPA (British)
/ˈlɛʒə/
Respelling
LEE-zhur (UK LEZH-ur)
Syllables
2 — LI-ʒɚ
Stress
Stress the first syllable: LI-ʒɚ. “li” 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

/ˈliʒɚ/

British

/ˈlɛʒə/

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

Watch out

Where “leisure” goes wrong

  • Often heard

    LAY-zhur

    American English says LEE-zhur; British English says LEZH-ur.

Meaning

What “leisure” means

  1. noun

    time available for ease and relaxation

    his job left him little leisure

  2. noun

    freedom to choose a pastime or enjoyable activity

    he lacked the leisure for golf

Say it in a sentence

Leisure time is the first thing to disappear in a busy month.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

4 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

leisure”, answered

How do you pronounce “leisure”?

“leisure” is pronounced /ˈliʒɚ/ (LEE-zhur (UK LEZH-ur)) in American English and /ˈlɛʒə/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “li”. Build it as LI-ʒɚ, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “leisure” have?

2: li · ʒɚ. The beat lands on the first, “li”.

Is “leisure” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈliʒɚ/ (LEE-zhur (UK LEZH-ur)); British English says /ˈlɛʒə/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “leisure” mean?

As a noun: time available for ease and relaxation For example: “his job left him little leisure” It carries 1 other sense as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “leisure”?

Stress the first syllable: LI-ʒɚ. “li” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “leisure” 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.