How to pronounce “produce”
“produce” is said two ways
/pɹəˈdus/
pruh-DOOS
To make, grow or bring out. Beat on DOOS; the first syllable is a schwa.
/ˈpɹoʊdus/
PROH-doos
Fruit and vegetables. Beat on the first syllable, with a long OH.
Listen for the beat, not the letters
One syllable gets longer, louder and a step higher, and the other one collapses towards a schwa. Say the whole sentence rather than the word on its own and let the grammar pull the beat where it belongs.Both forms live in one sentence here: “Local farms produce the produce sold at the Saturday market.”Each button plays a short phrase rather than the bare word: the model voice takes its stress from the words around it, so asking it for “produce” on its own would play one reading twice instead of the verb and the noun. Read the transcription as you listen.
Say “produce” in 2 beats
produce
/pɹəˈdus/
Everything in this card describes the verb form. As a noun it is /ˈpɹoʊdus/.
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /pɹəˈdjuːs/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- pɹəpɹə
- dusdusstress
- IPA (American)
- /pɹəˈdus/
- IPA (British)
- /pɹəˈdjuːs/
- Respelling
- pruh-DOOS (verb) · PROH-doos (noun)
- Syllables
- 2 — pɹə-DUS
- Stress
- Stress the second syllable: pɹə-DUS. “dus” 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
American and British are not the same here
This is the verb form in two accents — a separate question from the two pronunciations above, which are the same accent saying two different words.
/pɹəˈdus/
/pɹəˈdjuːs/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
Where “produce” goes wrong
- Often heard
“PROH-doos a report”
making something is pruh-DOOS; PROH-doos is what the market sells
What “produce” means
- noun
fresh fruits and vegetable grown for the market
- verb
bring forth or yield
“The tree would not produce fruit”
- verb
create or manufacture a man-made product
“We produce more cars than we can sell”
Say it in a sentence
“Local farms produce the produce sold at the Saturday market.”“produce”, answered
How do you pronounce “produce”?
“produce” has two pronunciations: /pɹəˈdus/ as a verb and /ˈpɹoʊdus/ as a noun — the part of speech decides which. The spelling never changes; the beat does, and the vowels reshape around wherever it lands. The transcription and syllable breakdown below describe the verb form. Build it as pɹə-DUS, then run the second syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.
How many syllables does “produce” have?
2: pɹə · dus. The beat lands on the second, “dus”.
Which pronunciation of “produce” is correct?
Both are. /pɹəˈdus/ (pruh-DOOS) as a verb; /ˈpɹoʊdus/ (PROH-doos) as a noun. Nothing about the spelling tells you which — the sentence does. Move the beat and the word changes its job mid-sentence, which is why both are worth drilling. Both appear here: “Local farms produce the produce sold at the Saturday market.”
Is “produce” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /pɹəˈdus/ (pruh-DOOS); British English says /pɹəˈdjuːs/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “produce” mean?
As a noun: fresh fruits and vegetable grown for the market For example: “Local farms produce the produce sold at the Saturday market.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.
Where is the stress in “produce”?
Stress the second syllable: pɹə-DUS. “dus” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Now say “produce” 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.