Arkansas pronunciation
Arkansas has 3 syllables. The stress is on the first syllable, "ahr". Capital letters in the respelling show where the stress falls.
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Arkansas syllables
Arkansas has 3 syllables: AHR-kuhn-sah.
- AHRɑr
- kuhnkən
- sahsɑ
AR-kan-saw. The final s is silent, and the ending sounds nothing like "Kansas". The state legislated the pronunciation in 1881 to settle the argument.
Sounds to watch
The r sound
Pull the tongue back and up without touching the roof of the mouth. American r is never rolled or tapped.
Weak syllables
The unstressed syllables use a short, relaxed uh (schwa). Rushing through them lightly is correct; giving them a full vowel sounds unnatural.
Arkansas in a sentence
- They drove through Arkansas on the way to Memphis.
- Arkansas is known for its hot springs and diamond mine.
Read either sentence into the recorder above. The check judges only the target word, so the rest of the sentence can be rough.
What Speakeroo listens for
These are the pronunciation patterns from Speakeroo’s speech feature catalog that this target tends to expose. The check above reports the ones it hears.
- Stress placed on the wrong syllableMake the correct syllable longer, clearer and more prominent.
- Extra syllable addedBlend adjacent sounds and avoid pronouncing silent letters.
- /r/ distorted or unclearUse the selected accent’s tongue shape without pressing the tongue against the palate.
- Schwa not reducedRelax unstressed vowels toward a short neutral sound.
- Every syllable stressed equallyEmphasise one main syllable and reduce the others.
Questions
How do you pronounce arkansas?
Arkansas is pronounced /ˈɑr.kən.ˌsɑ/, or AHR-kuhn-sah in plain letters. It has 3 syllables and the stress falls on the first syllable, "ahr".
How many syllables are in arkansas?
3: AHR-kuhn-sah. The capital letters mark the stressed syllable.
How do you use arkansas in a sentence?
They drove through Arkansas on the way to Memphis. Arkansas is known for its hot springs and diamond mine.
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