Pronunciation

How to pronounce “murder

“murder” is pronounced /ˈmɝdɚ/ (MUR-duh) in American English and /mɜːdə/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “mur”.
The sound

Say “murder” in 2 beats

Say it like this

murder

/ˈmɝdɚ/

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

2 beats
  1. murstress
  2. der
IPA (American)
/ˈmɝdɚ/
IPA (British)
/mɜːdə/
Respelling
MUR-duh
Syllables
2 — MUR-der
Stress
Stress the first syllable: MUR-der. “mur” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Part of speech
noun, verb
Difficulty
Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˈmɝdɚ/

British

/mɜːdə/

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

Meaning

What “murder” means

  1. noun

    unlawful premeditated killing of a human being by a human being

  2. verb

    kill intentionally and with premeditation

    The mafia boss ordered his enemies murdered

  3. verb

    alter so as to make unrecognizable

    The tourists murdered the French language

Say it in a sentence

The novel is a gripping story about a murder in a small village.
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

murder”, answered

How do you pronounce “murder”?

“murder” is pronounced /ˈmɝdɚ/ (MUR-duh) in American English and /mɜːdə/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “mur”. Build it as MUR-der, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “murder” have?

2: mur · der. The beat lands on the first, “mur”.

Is “murder” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈmɝdɚ/ (MUR-duh); British English says /mɜːdə/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “murder” mean?

As a noun: unlawful premeditated killing of a human being by a human being For example: “The novel is a gripping story about a murder in a small village.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “murder”?

Stress the first syllable: MUR-der. “mur” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “murder” 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.