English pronunciation · Words Starting with T

Tertiary Pronunciation

Tertiary is pronounced TUR-sher-ee, IPA /ˈtɝʃɝi/.

TUR-sher-ee

US /ˈtɝʃɝi/  ·  UK /ˈtɜːʃjəri/

Syllables: TUR · sher · ee (3 syllables, stress on syllable 1)

adjective: Third in order or importance, as in tertiary education or a tertiary hospital.

Audio for the American and British pronunciations plays on this page with JavaScript enabled.

Tertiary in a Sentence

  • Referrals go to a tertiary centre in the city.
  • Tertiary education is free in several countries.
  • That is a tertiary concern at this stage.

Common Mispronunciations of Tertiary

Not ter-TEE-uh-ree

The opening syllable takes the beat, matching primary and secondary rather than the Latin original.

Not TER-shuh-ry

Careful, though the British usually give it four beats, TUR-shuh-ree, while Americans often say TUR-shee-e-ree.

Tip: Primary, secondary and tertiary all lead with the beat, so the set has one rhythm.

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