How to Pronounce “lingerie”

American (US)

/ˌlɑːnʒəˈreɪ/

British (UK)

/ˈlɒ̃ʒəri/

Australian (AU)

/ˌlɔn.(d)ʒəˈɹæɪ/

noun — Women's underwear and nightclothes, especially of a light or decorative kind.

Example: The shop specialises in handmade lingerie.

A loanword from French. The English pronunciation is not the French one: English has settled on roughly “LON-zhuh-ray”, with the /ʒ/ of “measure”, which is closer to a guess at French than to French itself.

Where the stress falls. “lingerie” has 3 syllables, and the transcription /ˌlɑːnʒəˈreɪ/ puts the primary stress mark (ˈ) before the third one — so the third syllable is the longest and loudest. The others are said quickly and lightly.

An unstressed vowel reduces to schwa. /ˌlɑːnʒəˈreɪ/ 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 "lingerie" mean?

lingerie (noun): Women's underwear and nightclothes, especially of a light or decorative kind. For example — The shop specialises in handmade lingerie.

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

American English: /ˌlɑːnʒəˈreɪ/. British English: /ˈlɒ̃ʒəri/. Play both on this page to hear the difference.

What is the IPA transcription of "lingerie"?

/ˌlɑːnʒəˈreɪ/ in American English, /ˈlɒ̃ʒəri/ in British English, /ˌlɔn.(d)ʒəˈɹæɪ/ in Australian English.

Which syllable is stressed in "lingerie"?

“lingerie” has 3 syllables, and the transcription /ˌlɑːnʒəˈreɪ/ puts the primary stress mark (ˈ) before the third one — so the third syllable is the longest and loudest. The others are said quickly and lightly.