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Anonymous Posted 17 years ago
Speech & Pronunciation

How do I pronounce "Inventory" in British English

As above really, I've heard it pronounced in various ways in the UK and abroad, and was hoping to find out the correct pronunciation... (should the emphasis be on the second or third syllables?). Any thoughts (and ideally reference authorities) welcome.

Thanks in advance.
  

Top answer

US: primary stress on in ; secondary on tor I'm pretty sure that in British English the o in tory nearly disappears. Forgive me, Nona and others, if I'm incorrect.

— Philip

  • US: primary stress on in ; secondary on tor I'm pretty sure that in British English the o in tory nearly disappears.
  • Forgive me, Nona and others, if I'm incorrect.
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8 Answers
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US: primary stress on in; secondary on tor
I'm pretty sure that in British English the o in tory nearly disappears. Forgive me, Nona and others, if I'm incorrect.
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In British English there is generally no secondary stress, compared to American English:
Inven-tory = Inventry
Rasp-berry = Rasbury
Dictio-nary = Dictionury
Secre-tery = Secretury

However, I am not sure that's universal in the UK. I am sure I have heard someone from the UK say "secretary" like Americans do, with a secondary stress: Secruh-terry. But maybe he was Irish? I
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Kooyeen, I am presuming you are American Emotion: smile
In Britain, the words you used are pronounced as written - there is no "u" sound.
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Kooyeen is pretty much bang on with those phonetic spellings. Inventory should absolutely be pronounced in-vun-tree although the vun part should be so short as to be almost vn. Before anyone asks, I am English and was schooled by a grammar bully. So there!
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"In Britain, the words you used are pronounced as written."

I'm British and I've been teaching English for 15 years and that sentence made me laugh out loud!!! Try telling MY students that English words are "pronounced as written"! Sadly, this is rarely the case.
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Hello there,
The pronunciation of English in Google translate is in UK or US or others?
Thanks.
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I am 70 years old so please bear with me.

I know that the modern British pronunciation places the stress on "...in..." In inventory but when I was at grammar school back in the late 50s and 60s if we pronounced it that way we were corrected and made to pronounce it with the stress on "...ven..." ( Invent + ry) and I still pronounce it that way.

I'm absolutely fed up to the back te

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