3 syllables: ba, ke, ry. Stress on ba.
BAY-kur-ee
/ˈbeɪkɚi/
bakery is pronounced BAY-kur-ee (/ˈbeɪkɚi/). It has three syllables (ba-ke-ry), with the stress on "ba". Bakery is a place where bread, pastries, and other baked goods are made and sold. It is typically a small-to-medium shop or counter where doughs are prepared and products are displayed. The word emphasizes the craft of baking and the daily operation of producing fresh items for customers.
Bakery is a place where bread, pastries, and other baked goods are made and sold. It is typically a small-to-medium shop or counter where doughs are prepared and products are displayed. The word emphasizes the craft of baking and the daily operation of producing fresh items for customers.
- You might stress the wrong syllable; keep primary stress on BEI (first) rather than later syllables. - The middle syllable often reduces to a schwa; avoid sounding as /beɪˈkɛri/ or /ˈbeɪ.ke.ri/ with two pronounced vowels. - Final /i/ can become /ɪ/ or /iː/ depending on accent; aim for a light /i/ or schwa before the final /r/ depending on dialect. - Ensure you pronounce the /r/ in rhotic accents; in non-rhotic accents (some UK varieties) the /ɹ/ may be weaker or omitted in retroflex contexts, so practice with a lighter postvocalic /ɹ/.
"She stopped by the bakery to pick up a loaf of sourdough."
"The aroma from the bakery drew me in as I walked down the street."
"They opened a new bakery downtown that specializes in artisan breads."
Pronounce as BEI-kuh-ree in American and UK practice: IPA US: /ˈbeɪ.kə.ɹi/; UK: /ˈbeɪ.kə.ri/; and Australian: /ˈbeɪ.kə.ɹi/ with a relaxed second syllable. Emphasize the first syllable; the middle vowel is a schwa in rapid speech. Start with an open front diphthong for /eɪ/, then a quick unstressed /kə/ followed by /ri/.
Common errors include misplacing stress (e.g., /beɪˈkɛri/), overpronouncing the middle vowel as a full /e/ or /i/ (say /ˈbeɪ.kə.ɹi/), and slurring the /r/ in non-rhotic accents. Correction tips: keep /beɪ/ as a stressed syllable, reduce the middle to a schwa /ə/, and lightly articulate the final /i/ or /iː/ depending on accent. Practice with slow iterations then normal speed.
In US English, /ˈbeɪ.kə.ɹi/ with rhotic /ɹ/ and a clear /ə/ in the second syllable; UK English often /ˈbeɪ.kə.ri/ with a slightly shorter middle /ə/ and a non-rhotic or mildly rhotic /ɹ/ depending on speaker; Australian English tends to /ˈbeɪ.kə.ɹi/ with a voiced alveolar approximant /ɹ/ and a more level vowel quality. All share the initial /beɪ/ but vowel lengths can vary.
The difficulty comes from the three-syllable structure, the fast roman of vowels, and the transition from the /beɪ/ diphthong to the schwa /ə/ and then to /ɹi/. Speakers often overemphasize the middle vowel or drop the second syllable altogether. The challenge is transitioning smoothly between the stressed /beɪ/ and the unstressed /ə/ before the /ri/. IPA details: /ˈbeɪ.kə.ɹi/ in many dialects.
Unique to bakery is the clear retention of the final /i/ or /iː/ depending on dialect, and the middle syllable that almost always reduces to a schwa; you should keep the /k/ tightly bound to the /ə/ before the final /ɹi/ so that the word sounds like one fluid unit instead of three clipped parts. IPA guidance: /ˈbeɪ.kə.ɹi/.
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- US: rhotic /ɹ/ is pronounced with a retroflex or bunched tongue; keep /ə/ in the middle and the final /ɹi/ clear but not oversimplified. - UK: often non-rhotic; /ˈbeɪ.kə.ri/ with weaker /ɹ/ and shorter middle vowel; use a light, quick /ɪ/ or /ə/ depending on region. - AU: /ˈbeɪ.kə.ɹi/ with a strong, non-stressful final /ɹi/; avoid overemphasizing the middle vowel; keep the diphthong /eɪ/ intact. - Always anchor the /k/ to the preceding vowel; avoid a spillover into /kə/.
The word bakery derives from bake + -ery, via Old English bacan and bake, with the suffix -ery forming a place associated with a specific activity or business. The concept of baking bread and pastries is ancient, but the modern office or shop sensory naming emerged in Middle English as towns formed specialized tradespeople. The first known use in English traces to around the 14th‑15th centuries when bakehouses and bakehouses were common city trades. Over time, the term evolved to denote both the establishment where baking is performed and the products themselves. In contemporary usage, bakery differentiates from a bakery counter within grocery stores and from a patisserie in regions where French patisserie indicates more elaborate pastries. The semantic shift includes emphasis on artisanal, fresh-baked goods and the retail space dedicated to that craft.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "bakery" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "bakery"
-ery sounds
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