How to pronounce “prior”
Say “prior” in 2 beats
prior
/ˈpɹaɪɚ/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /pɹaɪə/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- pɹaɪpɹaɪstress
- ɚɚ
- IPA (American)
- /ˈpɹaɪɚ/
- IPA (British)
- /pɹaɪə/
- Respelling
- PRY-uh
- Syllables
- 2 — PɹAꞮ-ɚ
- Stress
- Stress the first syllable: PɹAꞮ-ɚ. “pɹaɪ” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
- Part of speech
- noun, adjective
- Difficulty
- Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
American and British are not the same here
/ˈpɹaɪɚ/
/pɹaɪə/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
What “prior” means
- noun
the head of a religious order; in an abbey the prior is next below the abbot
- adjective
earlier in time
Say it in a sentence
“The prior led that small community for thirty years.”“prior”, answered
How do you pronounce “prior”?
“prior” is pronounced /ˈpɹaɪɚ/ (PRY-uh) in American English and /pɹaɪə/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “pɹaɪ”. Build it as PɹAꞮ-ɚ, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.
How many syllables does “prior” have?
2: pɹaɪ · ɚ. The beat lands on the first, “pɹaɪ”.
Is “prior” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /ˈpɹaɪɚ/ (PRY-uh); British English says /pɹaɪə/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “prior” mean?
As a noun: the head of a religious order; in an abbey the prior is next below the abbot For example: “The prior led that small community for thirty years.” It carries 1 other sense as well — all of them said the same way.
Where is the stress in “prior”?
Stress the first syllable: PɹAꞮ-ɚ. “pɹaɪ” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Now say “prior” 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.