How to pronounce “major”
Say “major” in 2 beats
major
/ˈmeɪdʒɚ/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /meɪdʒə/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- majmeɪstress
- ordʒɚ
- IPA (American)
- /ˈmeɪdʒɚ/
- IPA (British)
- /meɪdʒə/
- Respelling
- MAY-juh
- Syllables
- 2 — MAJ-or
- Stress
- Stress the first syllable: MAJ-or. “maj” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
- Part of speech
- noun, verb, adjective
- Difficulty
- Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
American and British are not the same here
/ˈmeɪdʒɚ/
/meɪdʒə/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
What “major” means
- noun
a commissioned military officer in the United States Army or Air Force or Marines; below lieutenant colonel and above captain
- noun
British statesman who was prime minister from 1990 until 1997 (born in 1943)
- noun
a university student who is studying a particular field as the principal subject
“she is a linguistics major”
Say it in a sentence
“A retired major lives in the cottage by the ford.”“major”, answered
How do you pronounce “major”?
“major” is pronounced /ˈmeɪdʒɚ/ (MAY-juh) in American English and /meɪdʒə/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “maj”. Build it as MAJ-or, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.
How many syllables does “major” have?
2: maj · or. The beat lands on the first, “maj”.
Is “major” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /ˈmeɪdʒɚ/ (MAY-juh); British English says /meɪdʒə/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “major” mean?
As a noun: a commissioned military officer in the United States Army or Air Force or Marines; below lieutenant colonel and above captain For example: “A retired major lives in the cottage by the ford.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.
Where is the stress in “major”?
Stress the first syllable: MAJ-or. “maj” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Now say “major” 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.