Pronunciation

How to pronounce “majority

“majority” is pronounced /məˈdʒɔɹəti/ (muh-JAW-ruh-tee) in American English and /mədʒɒɹɪti/ in British English — 4 syllables, stressed on “or”.
The sound

Say “majority” in 4 beats

Say it like this

majority

/məˈdʒɔɹəti/

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

4 beats
  1. maj
  2. ordʒɔstress
  3. itɹə
  4. yti
IPA (American)
/məˈdʒɔɹəti/
IPA (British)
/mədʒɒɹɪti/
Respelling
muh-JAW-ruh-tee
Syllables
4 — maj-OR-it-y
Stress
Stress the second syllable: maj-OR-it-y. “or” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Part of speech
noun
Difficulty
Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/məˈdʒɔɹəti/

British

/mədʒɒɹɪti/

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

Meaning

What “majority” means

  1. noun

    the property resulting from being or relating to the greater in number of two parts; the main part

    the majority of his customers prefer it

  2. noun

    (elections) more than half of the votes

  3. noun

    the age at which persons are considered competent to manage their own affairs

Say it in a sentence

The majority of the audience stayed for the second half.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

7 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

majority”, answered

How do you pronounce “majority”?

“majority” is pronounced /məˈdʒɔɹəti/ (muh-JAW-ruh-tee) in American English and /mədʒɒɹɪti/ in British English — 4 syllables, stressed on “or”. Build it as maj-OR-it-y, then run the second syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “majority” have?

4: maj · or · it · y. The beat lands on the second, “or”.

Is “majority” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /məˈdʒɔɹəti/ (muh-JAW-ruh-tee); British English says /mədʒɒɹɪti/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “majority” mean?

As a noun: the property resulting from being or relating to the greater in number of two parts; the main part For example: “the majority of his customers prefer it” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “majority”?

Stress the second syllable: maj-OR-it-y. “or” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “majority” 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.