How to Pronounce “exemplary”

American (US)

/ɪɡˈzɛmpləɹi/

British (UK)

/ɪɡˈzɛmpləɹi/

adjective — Deserving honour, respect and admiration.

Where the stress falls. “exemplary” has 4 syllables, and the transcription /ɪɡˈzɛmpləɹi/ puts the primary stress mark (ˈ) before the second one — so the second syllable is the longest and loudest. The others are said quickly and lightly.

An unstressed vowel reduces to schwa. /ɪɡˈzɛmpləɹi/ contains a schwa /ə/ — the short, neutral “uh” that English unstressed syllables collapse into. Saying /ə/ there, instead of the vowel the spelling suggests, is most of what makes the word sound native.

What does "exemplary" mean?

exemplary (adjective): Deserving honour, respect and admiration.

How do you pronounce "exemplary" in American vs British English?

Both accents use the same sequence of phonemes for "exemplary", /ɪɡˈzɛmpləɹi/, so the difference you hear is in how the vowels are coloured rather than in which sounds are used. Play both on this page to compare.

What is the IPA transcription of "exemplary"?

/ɪɡˈzɛmpləɹi/ in American English, /ɪɡˈzɛmpləɹi/ in British English.

Which syllable is stressed in "exemplary"?

“exemplary” has 4 syllables, and the transcription /ɪɡˈzɛmpləɹi/ puts the primary stress mark (ˈ) before the second one — so the second syllable is the longest and loudest. The others are said quickly and lightly.