3 syllables: black, ber, ry. Stress on black.
BLAK-ber-ee
/ˈblæˌkbɛɹi/
blackberry is pronounced BLAK-ber-ee (/ˈblæˌkbɛɹi/). It has three syllables (black-ber-ry), with the stress on "black". Blackberry refers to a bramble fruit with a deep purple-black color, typically harvested from a thorny shrub. The term also denotes a line of smartphones formerly produced by BlackBerry Limited. In everyday use, it denotes the fruit or, by extension, technology related to the brand, with emphasis on crispness of bite and a slightly tart sweetness in tasting contexts.
Blackberry refers to a bramble fruit with a deep purple-black color, typically harvested from a thorny shrub. The term also denotes a line of smartphones formerly produced by BlackBerry Limited. In everyday use, it denotes the fruit or, by extension, technology related to the brand, with emphasis on crispness of bite and a slightly tart sweetness in tasting contexts.
- Over-clarifying the middle syllable: avoid turning /bə/ into /biː/ or /bɪ/; keep it as a quick, relaxed /bə/. - Merging syllables: don’t fuse /ˈblæ/ with /k/ tightly; articulate /k/ clearly to avoid /ˈblæ.kri/. - Final syllable mispronunciation: ensure the ending /ri/ or /riː/ matches your accent; don’t make it /riː/ in American casual speech unnecessarily.
Tip: practice with minimal pairs like blackberry vs blackbird to anchor the /ər/ vs /ɜː/ sequences and keep the /æ/ vs /a/ vowel distinctions clear.
"I picked a bowl of ripe blackberry from the hedge behind the garden."
"The old Blackberry phone model was famous for its physical keyboard and security features."
"She made a blackberry pie that tasted like summer."
You say /ˈblæk.bə.ri/ in careful speech, with primary stress on the first syllable. In many American pronunciations the middle syllable is a schwa, giving /ˈblæk.bə.ri/, and the final syllable ends with a long
Common mistakes include merging the second and third syllables too tightly (→ /ˈblæk.bri/), and saying the middle vowel as a full /ɪ/ or /iː/ instead of a relaxed /ə/. Another error is stressing the second syllable (BLACK-bear-ee). Correct by practicing distinct syllables: /ˈblæk/ + /bə/ + /ri/, keeping a light, quick transition between sounds and a relaxed tongue in the /ə/.
US: /ˈblæk.bə.ɹi/ with rhotic /ɹ/ and a clear schwa in the middle. UK: /ˈblæk.bɜː.ri/ or /ˈblæk.bə.ri/ depending on region, less rhotic on some speakers and a longer mid vowel in the second syllable. AU: /ˈblaəkˌbeː.ɹi/ or /ˈblæːk.bʰə.ɹi/, with non-rhotic tendencies in some speakers and a slightly different vowel length. Minor vowel shifts and rhotic presence vary by locale.
The difficulty lies in the rapid, three-syllable structure with a weak middle vowel that becomes a schwa for many speakers, plus the need to keep the /l/ and /æ/ in the first syllable distinct from the /b/ in the second. The final /ri/ should not become /riː/ in American speech. Practice by isolating each syllable, then linking with controlled, light tap between /k/ and /b/.
A distinctive aspect is preserving the crisp consonant cluster between the first two syllables ( /ˈblæ k/ ) and avoiding vowel smoothing that creates /ˈblæki/ or /ˈblakˌbɪri/. The middle /ə/ should be relaxed and unstressed; do not overemphasize it. Pay attention to the subtle /ɹ/ at the end in US speech and a potentially non-rhotic ending in some UK varieties.
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- US: Emphasize rhotic /ɹ/ at the end; keep /ə/ in middle light and quick; ensure /ˈblæk/ is crisp with the /k/ released. - UK: The middle vowel often shifts toward /ɜː/ or /ə/ depending on region; maintain non-rhotic tendencies where applicable. The final /ri/ should be shorter and less rounded. - AU: Variants may blend /ə/ with a slightly broader /ɪ/; keep the final /ɹi/ crisp but quick. Watch out for vowel length differences and the absence of strong rhoticization in some speeches. - All: Practice with IPA references, listening to native clips, and imitate mouth shapes with a mirror. Use stress-timed rhythm: strong beat on first syllable, quick transitions between syllables.
Blackberry derives from the words black + berry. The earliest English usage combines the color descriptor with the generic fruit name, reflecting the berry’s dark hue. The term appears in medieval and early modern texts as a natural designation for the fruit gathered from brambles. Over time, blackberry also became a proper noun in branding and commerce (notably for the smartphone manufacturer BlackBerry), but the word’s core meaning remains anchored in the fruit. The fruit’s taxonomy places it within the genus Rubus, closely related to raspberries and salmonberries, with the blackberry’s signature aggregate fruit formed from multiple drupelets. The color-based naming persisted as cultivars diversified in Europe and North America, with many varieties selected by thorny canes and distinct sweetness and acidity profiles, reinforcing the contrast with subtle color descriptors and regional naming conventions. First known use of the term in print aligns with the Middle English period, with stable modern usage emerging by the 18th and 19th centuries as horticultural catalogs popularized common cultivars and the fruit became a familiar pantry staple. The branding adoption by the device company came much later, anchoring the term in technology as a homograph with a distinct, modern identity.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "blackberry" and can often be used interchangeably.
🔄 These words have opposite meanings to "blackberry" and show contrast in usage.
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Words that rhyme with "blackberry"
-rry sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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