Criteria pronunciation
Criteria has 4 syllables. The stress is on the second syllable, "tih". Capital letters in the respelling show where the stress falls.
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Criteria syllables
Criteria has 4 syllables: kreye-TIH-ree-uh.
- kreyekraɪ
- TIHtɪ
- reeri
- uhə
Kry-TEER-ee-uh, four syllables, stress on "teer". The first syllable rhymes with "cry", and the second with "here". It is a plural — the singular is "criterion".
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.
Short i versus ee
The short i (as in sit) is shorter and more relaxed than ee. Many learners stretch it into ee, which changes the word.
Criteria in a sentence
- The criteria for the grant are listed on the second page.
- None of the candidates met all three criteria.
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.
- /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.
- Diphthong flattened into one vowelMove smoothly between both vowel positions.
- /ɪ/ and /iː/ confusedMake /iː/ higher, tenser and usually longer than /ɪ/.
Questions
How do you pronounce criteria?
Criteria is pronounced /kraɪ.ˈtɪ.ri.ə/, or kreye-TIH-ree-uh in plain letters. It has 4 syllables and the stress falls on the second syllable, "tih".
How many syllables are in criteria?
4: kreye-TIH-ree-uh. The capital letters mark the stressed syllable.
How do you use criteria in a sentence?
The criteria for the grant are listed on the second page. None of the candidates met all three criteria.
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