Pronunciation

How to pronounce “secure

“secure” is pronounced /sɪˈkjʊɹ/ (si-KYUUR) in American English and /sɪkjʊə/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “kjʊɹ”.
The sound

Say “secure” in 2 beats

Say it like this

secure

/sɪˈkjʊɹ/

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

2 beats
  1. kjʊɹkjʊɹstress
IPA (American)
/sɪˈkjʊɹ/
IPA (British)
/sɪkjʊə/
Respelling
si-KYUUR
Syllables
2 — sɪ-KJƱɹ
Stress
Stress the second syllable: sɪ-KJƱɹ. “kjʊɹ” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Part of speech
verb, adjective
Difficulty
Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/sɪˈkjʊɹ/

British

/sɪkjʊə/

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

Meaning

What “secure” means

  1. verb

    get by special effort

    He procured extra cigarettes even though they were rationed

  2. verb

    cause to be firmly attached

    fasten the lock onto the door

  3. verb

    assure payment of

Say it in a sentence

He managed to secure the last room in the village.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

6 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

secure”, answered

How do you pronounce “secure”?

“secure” is pronounced /sɪˈkjʊɹ/ (si-KYUUR) in American English and /sɪkjʊə/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “kjʊɹ”. Build it as sɪ-KJƱɹ, then run the second syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “secure” have?

2: sɪ · kjʊɹ. The beat lands on the second, “kjʊɹ”.

Is “secure” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /sɪˈkjʊɹ/ (si-KYUUR); British English says /sɪkjʊə/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “secure” mean?

As a verb: get by special effort For example: “He procured extra cigarettes even though they were rationed” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “secure”?

Stress the second syllable: sɪ-KJƱɹ. “kjʊɹ” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “secure” 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.