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Pronunciation

How to pronounce “secretary”

“secretary” is pronounced /ˈsɛkɹəˌtɛɹi/ (SEK-ruh-tair-ee (UK SEK-ruh-tree)) in American English and /ˈsɛkɹətɹi/ in British English — 4 syllables, stressed on “sec”.
The sound

Say “secretary” in 4 beats

Say it like this

secretary

/ˈsɛkɹəˌtɛɹi/

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

4 beats
  1. secsɛstress
  2. retkɹə
  3. artɛ
  4. yɹi
IPA (American)
/ˈsɛkɹəˌtɛɹi/
IPA (British)
/ˈsɛkɹətɹi/
Respelling
SEK-ruh-tair-ee (UK SEK-ruh-tree)
Syllables
4 — SEC-ret-ar-y
Stress
Stress the first syllable: SEC-ret-ar-y. “sec” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Part of speech
noun
Difficulty
Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˈsɛkɹəˌtɛɹi/

Four syllables with a clear -tair- before the ending.

British

/ˈsɛkrətri/

British English compresses it to three: SEK-ruh-tree.

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

Watch out

Where “secretary” goes wrong

  • Often heard

    “SEK-uh-tree”

    keep the r in the second syllable: SEK-ruh-tree

Meaning

What “secretary” means

  1. noun

    a person who is head of an administrative department of government

  2. noun

    an assistant who handles correspondence and clerical work for a boss or an organization

  3. noun

    a person to whom a secret is entrusted

Say it in a sentence

“The club secretary keeps every record going back to 1958.”
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

7 sounds, in the order you say them
ssɛshort e×2kkɹr×2əschwattilong e

Each sound has its own page: where the tongue goes, what it is usually confused with, and words to drill it on.

Questions

“secretary”, answered

How do you pronounce “secretary”?

“secretary” is pronounced /ˈsɛkɹəˌtɛɹi/ (SEK-ruh-tair-ee (UK SEK-ruh-tree)) in American English and /ˈsɛkɹətɹi/ in British English — 4 syllables, stressed on “sec”. Build it as SEC-ret-ar-y, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “secretary” have?

4: sec · ret · ar · y. The beat lands on the first, “sec”.

Is “secretary” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈsɛkɹəˌtɛɹi/ (SEK-ruh-tair-ee (UK SEK-ruh-tree)); British English says /ˈsɛkɹətɹi/. British English compresses it to three: SEK-ruh-tree. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “secretary” mean?

As a noun: a person who is head of an administrative department of government For example: “The club secretary keeps every record going back to 1958.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “secretary”?

Stress the first syllable: SEC-ret-ar-y. “sec” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

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