Pronunciation

How to pronounce “turmeric

“turmeric” is pronounced /ˈtɝmɚɪk/ (TUR-mur-ik) in American English and /ˈtɜːməɹɪk/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “tur”.
The sound

Say “turmeric” in 3 beats

Say it like this

turmeric

/ˈtɝmɚɪk/

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

3 beats
  1. turstress
  2. mer
  3. icɪk
IPA (American)
/ˈtɝmɚɪk/
IPA (British)
/ˈtɜːməɹɪk/
Respelling
TUR-mur-ik
Syllables
3 — TUR-mer-ic
Stress
Stress the first syllable: TUR-mer-ic. “tur” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Part of speech
noun
Difficulty
Legend — spelling and sound part company here
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˈtɝmɚɪk/

British

/ˈtɜːməɹɪk/

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

Watch out

Where “turmeric” goes wrong

  • Often heard

    TOO-mer-ik

    there is an r in the first syllable: TUR-mur-ik

Meaning

What “turmeric” means

  1. noun

    widely cultivated tropical plant of India having yellow flowers and a large aromatic deep yellow rhizome; source of a condiment and a yellow dye

  2. noun

    ground dried rhizome of the turmeric plant used as seasoning

Say it in a sentence

A pinch of turmeric turns the whole pot a warm yellow.
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

turmeric”, answered

How do you pronounce “turmeric”?

“turmeric” is pronounced /ˈtɝmɚɪk/ (TUR-mur-ik) in American English and /ˈtɜːməɹɪk/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “tur”. Build it as TUR-mer-ic, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “turmeric” have?

3: tur · mer · ic. The beat lands on the first, “tur”.

Is “turmeric” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈtɝmɚɪk/ (TUR-mur-ik); British English says /ˈtɜːməɹɪk/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “turmeric” mean?

As a noun: widely cultivated tropical plant of India having yellow flowers and a large aromatic deep yellow rhizome; source of a condiment and a yellow dye For example: “A pinch of turmeric turns the whole pot a warm yellow.” It carries 1 other sense as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “turmeric”?

Stress the first syllable: TUR-mer-ic. “tur” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “turmeric” and see every sound

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