How to pronounce “macabre”
Say “macabre” in 3 beats
macabre
/məˈkɑbɹə/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /məˈkɑːbɹə/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- macmə
- abkɑstress
- rebɹə
- IPA (American)
- /məˈkɑbɹə/
- IPA (British)
- /məˈkɑːbɹə/
- Also accepted
- /məˈkɑbɚ/
- Respelling
- muh-KAH-bruh
- Syllables
- 3 — mac-AB-re
- Stress
- Stress the second syllable: mac-AB-re. “ab” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
- Part of speech
- adjective
- Difficulty
- Legend — spelling and sound part company here
American and British are not the same here
/məˈkɑbɹə/
/məˈkɑːbɹə/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
Where “macabre” goes wrong
- Often heard
“muh-KAY-ber”
the ending is -bruh, and the stress is on KAH
What “macabre” means
- adjective
shockingly repellent; inspiring horror
“ghastly wounds”
Say it in a sentence
“The story takes a macabre turn in the final chapter.”“macabre”, answered
How do you pronounce “macabre”?
“macabre” is pronounced /məˈkɑbɹə/ (muh-KAH-bruh) in American English and /məˈkɑːbɹə/ in British English, and /məˈkɑbɚ/ is also accepted — 3 syllables, stressed on “ab”. Build it as mac-AB-re, then run the second syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.
How many syllables does “macabre” have?
3: mac · ab · re. The beat lands on the second, “ab”.
Is “macabre” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /məˈkɑbɹə/ (muh-KAH-bruh); British English says /məˈkɑːbɹə/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “macabre” mean?
As an adjective: shockingly repellent; inspiring horror For example: “ghastly wounds”
Where is the stress in “macabre”?
Stress the second syllable: mac-AB-re. “ab” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Now say “macabre” 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.