How to pronounce Europe and European

This is how Americans pronounce the words Europe and European.

Europe

We pronounce Europe with stress on the first syllable. The o in the second syllable is reduced to schwa.

This is how I like to spell it~YER rəp

This is a very common pronunciation pattern in American English. In fact, MOST two syllable nouns are stressed on the first syllable.

European

We pronounce European with stress on the third syllable. The o in the second syllable is reduced to schwa. The a is reduced to schwa.

This is how I like to spell it~yer rə PEE yən

Listen here

 

Syllable stress and schwa

If you want to speak English in a way that Americans understand, you need to know how to stress syllables in words the American way.

Using syllable stress and the reduced schwa vowel sound are critical for clear American style speech.

About the author

Susan Ryan is an American English communication and accent reduction coach.

Contact me with your questions about clear American speech.