How to Pronounce “lyonnaise”

American (US)

/ˌliː.əˈneɪz/

British (UK)

/ˌliː.əˈneɪz/

adjective — Cooked with onions, especially caramelized onions.

Example: For dinner, we had beef with potatoes lyonnaise.

The final e is silent. The transcription /ˌliː.əˈneɪz/ ends on a consonant sound, so the written e at the end of “lyonnaise” is not pronounced.

Where the stress falls. “lyonnaise” has 3 syllables, and the transcription /ˌliː.əˈneɪz/ 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. /ˌliː.əˈneɪz/ 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 "lyonnaise" mean?

lyonnaise (adjective): Cooked with onions, especially caramelized onions. For example — For dinner, we had beef with potatoes lyonnaise.

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

Both accents use the same sequence of phonemes for "lyonnaise", /ˌliː.əˈneɪz/, 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 "lyonnaise"?

/ˌliː.əˈneɪz/ in American English, /ˌliː.əˈneɪz/ in British English.

Which syllable is stressed in "lyonnaise"?

“lyonnaise” has 3 syllables, and the transcription /ˌliː.əˈneɪz/ 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.