Pronunciation

How to pronounce “surcharge

“surcharge” is pronounced /sɚˈtʃɑɹdʒ/ (suh-CHAHRJ) in American English and /sɜːtʃɑːdʒ/ in British English, and /ˈsɝˌtʃɑɹdʒ/ is also accepted — 2 syllables, stressed on “tʃɑɹdʒ”.
The sound

Say “surcharge” in 2 beats

Say it like this

surcharge

/sɚˈtʃɑɹdʒ/

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

2 beats
  1. tʃɑɹdʒtʃɑɹdʒstress
IPA (American)
/sɚˈtʃɑɹdʒ/
IPA (British)
/sɜːtʃɑːdʒ/
Also accepted
/ˈsɝˌtʃɑɹdʒ/
Respelling
suh-CHAHRJ
Syllables
2 — sɚ-TƩⱭɹDƷ
Stress
Stress the second syllable: sɚ-TƩⱭɹDƷ. “tʃɑɹdʒ” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Part of speech
noun, verb
Difficulty
Pro — the sounds are ordinary, the rhythm is where it slips
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/sɚˈtʃɑɹdʒ/

British

/sɜːtʃɑːdʒ/

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

Meaning

What “surcharge” means

  1. noun

    an additional charge (as for items previously omitted or as a penalty for failure to exercise common caution or common skill)

  2. verb

    charge an extra fee, as for a special service

  3. verb

    rip off; ask an unreasonable price

Say it in a sentence

The airline will surcharge you for a second suitcase.
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

surcharge”, answered

How do you pronounce “surcharge”?

“surcharge” is pronounced /sɚˈtʃɑɹdʒ/ (suh-CHAHRJ) in American English and /sɜːtʃɑːdʒ/ in British English, and /ˈsɝˌtʃɑɹdʒ/ is also accepted — 2 syllables, stressed on “tʃɑɹdʒ”. Build it as sɚ-TƩⱭɹDƷ, then run the second syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “surcharge” have?

2: sɚ · tʃɑɹdʒ. The beat lands on the second, “tʃɑɹdʒ”.

Is “surcharge” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /sɚˈtʃɑɹdʒ/ (suh-CHAHRJ); British English says /sɜːtʃɑːdʒ/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “surcharge” mean?

As a noun: an additional charge (as for items previously omitted or as a penalty for failure to exercise common caution or common skill) For example: “The airline will surcharge you for a second suitcase.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “surcharge”?

Stress the second syllable: sɚ-TƩⱭɹDƷ. “tʃɑɹdʒ” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “surcharge” 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.