English pronunciation · Words Starting with S
Surprise Pronunciation
Surprise is pronounced ser-PRYZ, IPA /səˈpraɪz/.
ser-PRYZ
US /səˈpraɪz/ · UK /səˈpraɪz/
Syllables: ser · PRYZ (2 syllables, stress on syllable 2)
noun and verb: An unexpected event, or the feeling that such an event causes.
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Surprise in a Sentence
- The result came as a surprise to everyone.
- She surprised us with a cake.
- There was no surprise in the final figures.
Common Mispronunciations of Surprise
Not SER-pryz
Back beat on PRYZ, with the opening ser left unstressed.
Not ser-PRYS
Buzz the final s as a z, and sound the first r too, which plenty of speakers skip.
Tip: Two beats, ser-PRYZ. Dropping that first r to say suh-PRYZ is very common in speech.
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