English pronunciation · Words Starting with P
Purgatory Pronunciation
Purgatory is pronounced PUR-guh-taw-ree, IPA /ˈpɝgəˌtɔri/.
PUR-guh-taw-ree
US /ˈpɝgəˌtɔri/ · UK /ˈpɜːgətəˌri/
Syllables: PUR · guh · taw · ree (4 syllables, stress on syllable 1)
noun: In Catholic teaching, a state of cleansing after death, and by extension any long misery.
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Purgatory in a Sentence
- Dante gives purgatory a mountain of its own.
- The wait at the airport was sheer purgatory.
- Masses were said for souls in purgatory.
Common Mispronunciations of Purgatory
Not PUR-juh-taw-ree
The g in purgatory is hard, because an a follows it rather than an e or an i.
Not pur-GA-tuh-ree
The opening PUR is the one loud beat, and the three behind it step down evenly.
Tip: British speech often loses a beat here, PUR-guh-tree.
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