Pronunciation

How to pronounce “vegetarian

“vegetarian” is pronounced /ˌvɛdʒəˈtɛˌɹiən/ (ve-juh-TE-ree-uhn) in American English and /vɛdʒɪteəɹiən/ in British English — 5 syllables, stressed on “tɛ”.
The sound

Say “vegetarian” in 5 beats

Say it like this

vegetarian

/ˌvɛdʒəˈtɛˌɹiən/

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

5 beats
  1. dʒədʒə
  2. stress
  3. ɹiɹi
  4. ənən
IPA (American)
/ˌvɛdʒəˈtɛˌɹiən/
IPA (British)
/vɛdʒɪteəɹiən/
Respelling
ve-juh-TE-ree-uhn
Syllables
5 — vɛ-dʒə-TƐ-ɹi-ən
Stress
Stress the third syllable: vɛ-dʒə-TƐ-ɹi-ən. “tɛ” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Part of speech
noun
Difficulty
Pro — the sounds are ordinary, the rhythm is where it slips
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˌvɛdʒəˈtɛˌɹiən/

British

/vɛdʒɪteəɹiən/

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

Meaning

What “vegetarian” means

  1. noun

    eater of fruits and grains and nuts; someone who eats no meat or fish or (often) any animal products

Say it in a sentence

She has been vegetarian since she was about fourteen.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

8 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

vegetarian”, answered

How do you pronounce “vegetarian”?

“vegetarian” is pronounced /ˌvɛdʒəˈtɛˌɹiən/ (ve-juh-TE-ree-uhn) in American English and /vɛdʒɪteəɹiən/ in British English — 5 syllables, stressed on “tɛ”. Build it as vɛ-dʒə-TƐ-ɹi-ən, then run the third syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “vegetarian” have?

5: vɛ · dʒə · tɛ · ɹi · ən. The beat lands on the third, “tɛ”.

Is “vegetarian” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˌvɛdʒəˈtɛˌɹiən/ (ve-juh-TE-ree-uhn); British English says /vɛdʒɪteəɹiən/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “vegetarian” mean?

As a noun: eater of fruits and grains and nuts; someone who eats no meat or fish or (often) any animal products For example: “She has been vegetarian since she was about fourteen.”

Where is the stress in “vegetarian”?

Stress the third syllable: vɛ-dʒə-TƐ-ɹi-ən. “tɛ” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “vegetarian” 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.