English pronunciation · Words Starting with P
Patriarch Pronunciation
Patriarch is pronounced PAY-tree-ahrk, IPA /ˈpeɪtriˌɑrk/.
PAY-tree-ahrk
US /ˈpeɪtriˌɑrk/ · UK /ˈpætrɪˌɑːk/
Syllables: PAY · tree · ahrk (3 syllables, stress on syllable 1)
noun: The oldest man at the head of a family, or a senior bishop in some Christian churches.
Audio for the American and British pronunciations plays on this page with JavaScript enabled.
Patriarch in a Sentence
- At ninety he was still the patriarch of the whole clan.
- The patriarch of Constantinople sent a letter of support.
- Abraham is treated as the patriarch of three religions.
Common Mispronunciations of Patriarch
Not PA-tree-ahrk
American and British dictionaries split here: PAY-tree-ahrk is the usual American reading and PA-tri-ahk the British one.
Not PAY-tree-arch
That final ch is a hard k, as it is in monarch and anarchy, so the word closes on ahrk.
Tip: Patriarchal moves the beat along to the ahr: pay-tree-AHR-kuhl.
More words starting with p · Every word in the pronunciation guide