How to pronounce camera in American English

IPA /ˈkæmrə/ Syllables 2 · kam·ruh Stress 1st syllable

KAM·ruh

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Americans pronounce camera as KAM-ruh (/ˈkæmrə/). The unstressed syllable reduces to a lazy schwa — almost a quick "uh" — instead of being pronounced fully. Stress falls on the first syllable — keep everything else short and quick.

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Sounds

75%

Clarity

68%

Stress

78%

Intonation

65%

Fluency

62%

Overall assessment

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72% Noticeable accent

Common mistakes

Pronouncing the vowel before M/N too pure.

In "camera", the "a" vowel before M or N raises and fronts toward [eə] — the tongue pulls up and forward, breaking the vowel into a tense glide as it anticipates the nasal. The "/æ/" vowel raises and fronts before M or N — tongue pulls up and forward, producing a tense [eə] glide (between /e/ and /ə/). Not a pure /æ/.

Stressing the wrong syllable.

Stress falls on the first syllable, not the others. Stretch KAM — keep everything else short and quick.

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In real conversation

Hear "camera" in the wild.

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"Let's take a picture with my new camera."

LEHTS TAYK uh PIHK·cher wihth mahy noo KAM·ruh

"The photograph was taken using a vintage film camera."

dhuh FOH·duh·graf wuhz TAY·kuhn YOO·zuhng uh VIHN·tuhj FIHLM KAM·ruh

Watch out

Common pronunciation mistakes in American English.

The textbook way isn't wrong — it's just not how anyone actually says it.

Pronouncing the vowel before M/N too pure.

KAM-ruh→KAM·ruh

Stressing the wrong syllable.

Stress falls on the first syllable, not the others. Stretch KAM — keep everything else short and quick.

kam·RUH→KAM·ruh

Pronouncing the unstressed syllable too fully.

Don't pronounce the first syllable too fully. The unstressed syllable reduces to a schwa — the lazy "uh" sound — in casual speech.

KAM·RUH→KAM·ruh

Questions

Questions people ask about this.

How is "camera" stressed in American English?

Stress falls on the first syllable — say "KAM" with a longer, fuller vowel and keep every other syllable short and quick. The respell "KAM-ruh" marks the stressed syllable in capitals so the rhythm is easy to read at a glance.

Why does the second syllable in "camera" reduce to "uh"?

Unstressed syllables in American English collapse toward a schwa — a lazy, neutral "uh" sound. The full vowel is what textbooks teach, but in actual American speech every unstressed vowel reduces. The respell "KAM-ruh" shows the reduced form so you can hear the casual rhythm directly.

Is the American pronunciation of "camera" different from British English?

American English uses different vowel shapes, a relaxed retroflex R, and connected-speech tricks like flap-T and glottal-stop T that British Received Pronunciation generally avoids. The respell "KAM-ruh" reflects the casual American form; British dictionaries typically print a citation form with crisper consonants and different vowel choices.

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Common mistakes

Pronouncing the vowel before M/N too pure.

Stressing the wrong syllable.

Hear "camera" in the wild.

Words that work the same way.

Common pronunciation mistakes in American English.

Pronouncing the vowel before M/N too pure.

Stressing the wrong syllable.

Pronouncing the unstressed syllable too fully.

Questions people ask about this.

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