Pronunciation

How to pronounce “rigorous

“rigorous” is pronounced /ˈɹɪɡɚəs/ (RI-guh-uhs) in American English and /ɹɪɡəɹəs/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “rig”.
The sound

Say “rigorous” in 3 beats

Say it like this

rigorous

/ˈɹɪɡɚəs/

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

3 beats
  1. rigɹɪstress
  2. orɡɚ
  3. ousəs
IPA (American)
/ˈɹɪɡɚəs/
IPA (British)
/ɹɪɡəɹəs/
Respelling
RI-guh-uhs
Syllables
3 — RIG-or-ous
Stress
Stress the first syllable: RIG-or-ous. “rig” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Part of speech
adjective
Difficulty
Pro — the sounds are ordinary, the rhythm is where it slips
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˈɹɪɡɚəs/

British

/ɹɪɡəɹəs/

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

Meaning

What “rigorous” means

  1. adjective

    rigidly accurate; allowing no deviation from a standard

    rigorous application of the law

  2. adjective

    demanding strict attention to rules and procedures

    rigorous discipline

Say it in a sentence

The testing was rigorous, and two whole batches were rejected.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

5 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

rigorous”, answered

How do you pronounce “rigorous”?

“rigorous” is pronounced /ˈɹɪɡɚəs/ (RI-guh-uhs) in American English and /ɹɪɡəɹəs/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “rig”. Build it as RIG-or-ous, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “rigorous” have?

3: rig · or · ous. The beat lands on the first, “rig”.

Is “rigorous” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈɹɪɡɚəs/ (RI-guh-uhs); British English says /ɹɪɡəɹəs/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “rigorous” mean?

As an adjective: rigidly accurate; allowing no deviation from a standard For example: “rigorous application of the law” It carries 1 other sense as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “rigorous”?

Stress the first syllable: RIG-or-ous. “rig” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “rigorous” 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.