How to pronounce temperature in American English

IPA /ˈtɛmpərətʃər/ Syllables 4 · tehm·puh·ruh·cher Stress 1st syllable

TEHM·puh·ruh·cher

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Americans pronounce temperature as TEHM-puh-ruh-cher (/ˈtɛmpərətʃər/). 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

Stressing the wrong syllable.

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

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.

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Why it sounds different

Why "temperature" sounds like TEHM·puh·ruh·cher.

The "" at the end of "" flows directly into the vowel starting "" — the consonant migrates to the next word with no pause between. This is called the Consonant-to-Vowel Linking, the way sentences stop sounding like a list and start sounding like speech. It comes out as TEHM·puh·ruh·cher.

In real conversation

Hear "temperature" in the wild.

Click any sentence to see the full breakdown — every link, every reduction, every flap-T.

"Did you say the temperature is thirteen degrees?"

dihd yuh SAY dhuh TEHM·pruh·cher ihz ther·TEEN duh·GREEZ

"He measured the temperature and pressure of the gas."

hee MEH·zherd dhuh TEHM·pruh·cher and PREH·sher uhv dhuh GAS

"Measurements of ocean temperature help track climate change."

MEH·zher·muhnts uhv OH·shuhn TEHM·per·cher HEHLP TRAK KLAHY·muht CHAYNJ

"She wore layers because the temperature fluctuates throughout the day."

shee WOR LAY·erz buh·KUHZ dhuh TEHM·pruh·cher FLUHK·choo·ayts throo·OWT dhuh DAY

"The nurse took my blood pressure and recorded my temperature."

dhuh NURS TUUK mahy BLUHD PREH·sher and ruh·KOR·duhd mahy TEHM·pruh·cher

"The forecast predicts a significant drop in temperature overnight."

dhuh FOR·kast pruh·DIHKTS uh suhg·NIH·fuh·kuhnt DRAHP ihn TEHM·pruh·cher oh·ver·NAHYT

Watch out

Common pronunciation mistakes in American English.

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

Stressing the wrong syllable.

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

tehm·PUH·RUH·CHER→TEHM·puh·ruh·cher

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.

TEHM·PUH·ruh·cher→TEHM·puh·ruh·cher

Pronouncing the "R" too clearly.

Americans use a relaxed retroflex R — the tongue curls back rather than rolling. The R is one continuous sound with the vowel before it, not two separate sounds.

… (no R)→… r (curl the tongue)

Questions

Questions people ask about this.

How is "temperature" stressed in American English?

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

Why does the second syllable in "temperature" 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 "TEHM-puh-ruh-cher" shows the reduced form so you can hear the casual rhythm directly.

How do I pronounce the R in "temperature"?

Americans use a relaxed retroflex R: the tongue curls back rather than rolling, and the R is one continuous sound with the vowel before it — not two separate sounds. Don't try to pronounce a separate vowel followed by a separate R. Treat them as a single shape.

Is the American pronunciation of "temperature" 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 "TEHM-puh-ruh-cher" reflects the casual American form; British dictionaries typically print a citation form with crisper consonants and different vowel choices.

Now you try.

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Overall assessment

Common mistakes

Stressing the wrong syllable.

Pronouncing the unstressed syllable too fully.

Why "temperature" sounds like TEHM·puh·ruh·cher.

Hear "temperature" in the wild.

Words that work the same way.

Common pronunciation mistakes in American English.

Stressing the wrong syllable.

Pronouncing the unstressed syllable too fully.

Pronouncing the "R" too clearly.

Questions people ask about this.

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