How to pronounce “theatre”
Say “theatre” in 3 beats
theatre
/ˈθiətɚ/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /θiətə/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- θiθistress
- əə
- tɚtɚ
- IPA (American)
- /ˈθiətɚ/
- IPA (British)
- /θiətə/
- Respelling
- THEE-uh-tuh
- Syllables
- 3 — ΘI-ə-tɚ
- Stress
- Stress the first syllable: ΘI-ə-tɚ. “θi” 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
American and British are not the same here
/ˈθiətɚ/
/θiətə/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
What “theatre” means
- noun
a building where theatrical performances or motion-picture shows can be presented
“the house was full”
- noun
the art of writing and producing plays
- noun
a region in which active military operations are in progress
“the army was in the field awaiting action”
Say it in a sentence
“The theatre was built in 1908 and still has its original seats.”The sounds inside this word
Each sound has its own page: where the tongue goes, what it is usually confused with, and words to drill it on.
“theatre”, answered
How do you pronounce “theatre”?
“theatre” is pronounced /ˈθiətɚ/ (THEE-uh-tuh) in American English and /θiətə/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “θi”. Build it as ΘI-ə-tɚ, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.
How many syllables does “theatre” have?
3: θi · ə · tɚ. The beat lands on the first, “θi”.
Is “theatre” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /ˈθiətɚ/ (THEE-uh-tuh); British English says /θiətə/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “theatre” mean?
As a noun: a building where theatrical performances or motion-picture shows can be presented For example: “the house was full” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.
Where is the stress in “theatre”?
Stress the first syllable: ΘI-ə-tɚ. “θi” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Now say “theatre” 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.