English pronunciation · Words Starting with H
Hurricane Pronunciation
Hurricane is pronounced HUR-uh-kayn, IPA /ˈhərəˌkeɪnz/.
HUR-uh-kayn
US /ˈhərəˌkeɪnz/ · UK /ˈhʌrɪˌkeɪn/
Syllables: HUR · uh · kayn (3 syllables, stress on syllable 1)
noun: A violent tropical storm with winds above 74 miles an hour, forming over the Atlantic or eastern Pacific.
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Hurricane in a Sentence
- The hurricane made landfall just after midnight.
- They boarded up the windows before the hurricane arrived.
- Hurricane season runs from June to November.
Common Mispronunciations of Hurricane
Not huh-ri-KAYN
Weight belongs at the opening, HUR, with only a lighter push on the last syllable. Loading the ending is the usual slip.
Not HUR-i-kuhn
British speakers do reduce the ending to kuhn, but American speakers give it a full kayn. Either is standard; mixing a British ending onto American stress is what sounds odd.
Tip: Three syllables: HUR-uh-kayn. The first rhymes with her.
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