How to pronounce “research”
“research” is said two ways
/ˈɹisɚtʃ/
REE-surch
The body of work. American English often front-stresses it; British English says rih-SURCH here too.
/ɹiˈsɝtʃ/
ree-SURCH
To investigate. Beat on SURCH on both sides of the Atlantic.
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: “Her research on sleep and memory took nearly four years to finish.”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 “research” on its own would play one reading twice instead of the noun and the verb. Read the transcription as you listen.
Say “research” in 2 beats
research
/ˈɹisɚtʃ/
Everything in this card describes the noun form. As a verb it is /ɹiˈsɝtʃ/.
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /ɹɪˈsɜːtʃ/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- resɹistress
- earchsɚtʃ
- IPA (American)
- /ˈɹisɚtʃ/
- IPA (British)
- /ɹɪˈsɜːtʃ/
- Respelling
- REE-surch (noun) · ree-SURCH (verb)
- Syllables
- 2 — RES-earch
- Stress
- Stress the first syllable: RES-earch. “res” 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 noun form in two accents — a separate question from the two pronunciations above, which are the same accent saying two different words.
/ˈɹisɚtʃ/
/ɹɪˈsɜːtʃ/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
Where “research” goes wrong
- Often heard
“always ree-SURCH”
the noun is usually REE-surch in America and rih-SURCH in Britain
What “research” means
- noun
systematic investigation to establish facts
- noun
a search for knowledge
“their pottery deserves more research than it has received”
- verb
attempt to find out in a systematically and scientific manner
“The student researched the history of that word”
Say it in a sentence
“Her research on sleep and memory took nearly four years to finish.”“research”, answered
How do you pronounce “research”?
“research” has two pronunciations: /ˈɹisɚtʃ/ as a noun and /ɹiˈsɝtʃ/ as a verb — 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 noun form. Build it as RES-earch, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.
How many syllables does “research” have?
2: res · earch. The beat lands on the first, “res”.
Which pronunciation of “research” is correct?
Both are. /ˈɹisɚtʃ/ (REE-surch) as a noun; /ɹiˈsɝtʃ/ (ree-SURCH) as a verb. 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: “Her research on sleep and memory took nearly four years to finish.”
Is “research” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /ˈɹisɚtʃ/ (REE-surch); British English says /ɹɪˈsɜːtʃ/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “research” mean?
As a noun: systematic investigation to establish facts For example: “Her research on sleep and memory took nearly four years to finish.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.
Where is the stress in “research”?
Stress the first syllable: RES-earch. “res” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Now say “research” 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.