How to pronounce “obscure”
Say “obscure” in 2 beats
obscure
/əbˈskjʊɹ/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /ɒbskjʊə/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- əbəb
- skjʊɹskjʊɹstress
- IPA (American)
- /əbˈskjʊɹ/
- IPA (British)
- /ɒbskjʊə/
- Respelling
- uhb-SKYUUR
- Syllables
- 2 — əb-SKJƱɹ
- Stress
- Stress the second syllable: əb-SKJƱɹ. “skjʊɹ” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
- Part of speech
- verb, adjective
- Difficulty
- Pro — the sounds are ordinary, the rhythm is where it slips
American and British are not the same here
/əbˈskjʊɹ/
/ɒbskjʊə/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
What “obscure” means
- verb
make less visible or unclear
“The stars are obscured by the clouds”
- verb
make unclear, indistinct, or blurred
“Her remarks confused the debate”
- verb
make obscure or unclear
“The distinction was obscured”
Say it in a sentence
“Tall hedges obscure the view from the kitchen window.”“obscure”, answered
How do you pronounce “obscure”?
“obscure” is pronounced /əbˈskjʊɹ/ (uhb-SKYUUR) in American English and /ɒbskjʊə/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “skjʊɹ”. Build it as əb-SKJƱɹ, then run the second syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.
How many syllables does “obscure” have?
2: əb · skjʊɹ. The beat lands on the second, “skjʊɹ”.
Is “obscure” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /əbˈskjʊɹ/ (uhb-SKYUUR); British English says /ɒbskjʊə/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “obscure” mean?
As a verb: make less visible or unclear For example: “The stars are obscured by the clouds” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.
Where is the stress in “obscure”?
Stress the second syllable: əb-SKJƱɹ. “skjʊɹ” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Now say “obscure” 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.