3 syllables: cal, o, rie. Stress on cal.
KAL-ur-ee
/ˈkælɚi/
calorie is pronounced KAL-ur-ee (/ˈkælɚi/). It has three syllables (cal-o-rie), with the stress on "cal". A unit of energy commonly used to measure the energy content of foods and beverages. In everyday usage, it refers to the energy provided to the body by consuming a product, and in science, it denotes a metric of energy transfer. The term is often used interchangeably with kilocalorie in nutrition contexts, though calorie typically denotes the smaller unit in non-science writing.
A unit of energy commonly used to measure the energy content of foods and beverages. In everyday usage, it refers to the energy provided to the body by consuming a product, and in science, it denotes a metric of energy transfer. The term is often used interchangeably with kilocalorie in nutrition contexts, though calorie typically denotes the smaller unit in non-science writing.
- You might overemphasize the middle vowel, turning it into /æ/ or /eɪ/ instead of a quick schwa; correct by relaxing the jaw and letting the middle syllable be shorter and softer. - You may pronounce the final syllable as /riː/ or /ri/ with a heavy roll; practice with a clipped, light /ri/ and a gentle, unfused stop before it. - Stress drift is common; keep primary stress on the first syllable /ˈkæl/ and treat the rest as non-stressed, quick syllables.
"The label lists 200 calories per serving."
"Athletes track calories to manage weight and energy intake."
"You don’t want to overconsume calories late at night."
You say it as /ˈkæl.ə.ri/ in US English and /ˈkæl.ə.ri/ in UK English, with primary stress on the first syllable. Break it into three beats: CAL - eh - ree. Start with a clear fronted /k/ then a short /æ/ as in cat, a schwa or short /ə/ in the second syllable, and end with /ri/ where the first sound is a voiced alveolar approximant close to 'ree' without a heavy r-coloring in many varieties.
Common errors include over-articulating the second syllable as /ɑː/ or /ɔː/ (CAL-OR-ee) and turning the final /ri/ into a sharper /riː/ or adding an extra syllable. Another frequent mistake is misplacing stress, saying /ˈkæl.əˌri/ with secondary stress on the middle. To correct: keep the middle vowel as a quick schwa and keep the final /ri/ light and clipped; emphasize the first syllable /ˈkæl/ rather than stretching it. Practice with slow enunciation then natural speed.
US and UK both use three syllables with primary stress on the first, /ˈkæl.ə.ri/. US tends to reduce final consonants and vowels slightly, yielding a lighter /ri/; UK English often maintains crisper syllables and a marginally more rounded /ə/. Australian English is similar to UK but frequently features a broader vowel in the first syllable and a more centralized middle vowel, with less rhoticity in rapid speech. Overall, the rhythm remains trochaic across these accents.
The difficulty centers on three factors: first, the subtle reduction of the middle vowel to a schwa, which can become an aspirated or slightly stressed vowel regionally; second, the unstressed, quick final -rie approximates /ri/ rather than /riː/ in careful speech; third, the consonant cluster at the end requires precise tongue tip and tongue body coordination to avoid a “cal-uh-ree” mispronunciation. Focus on keeping the first syllable strong, middle short, and end light. IPA guidance: /ˈkæl.ə.ri/.
A key detail is the short, fronted /æ/ in the first syllable, not /eɪ/ or /ɛ/. The middle syllable uses a weak schwa /ə/ that you should reduce, rather than an explicit vowel. The final /ri/ should be a light, almost clipped /ri/ rather than a full, elongated /riː/. If you’re careful, you’ll maintain a natural, three-syllable rhythm closer to native speech; avoid emphasizing the middle vowel too much.
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- US: aim for a clear /æ/ in the first syllable, with a light /ə/ in the middle and a short /ri/; rhyme with 'merry' but with a shorter final vowel. IPA: /ˈkæl.ə.ri/. - UK: crisper /ˈkæl.ə.ri/ with slightly more precise vowels and a non-rhotic /r/, so the final /ri/ has less r-color; IPA: /ˈkæl.ə.ri/. - AU: similar to UK but often broader vowel in the first syllable and a more centralized middle vowel; IPA: /ˈkæl.ə.ri/. Beneficial practice includes listening to native speakers and mimicking the three-beat rhythm.
The word calorie derives from the French calorie, which came from calori-, the stem of calor, meaning heat, from the Latin calor. The root calori- traces to the Greek word kaulós (heat) via late Latin caloriu(m)/calor. The concept arose in thermodynamics in the 19th century as scientists sought a unit to measure energy transferred as heat. The original scientific terms evolved through the early calorimetry tradition, where researchers defined the calorie as the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of 1 gram of water by 1 degree Celsius (1 cal = 4.184 joules). In nutrition, the term began to be used more loosely to denote energy content in foods, leading to kilocalorie being the formal unit in dietary labeling, while “calorie” persists in everyday language. Over time, “calorie” in foods often refers to kilocalories on labels, with culinary writers and media using the term more broadly. First known uses are attested in late 19th century English scientific writing, expanding into popular nutrition discourse in the 20th century. While the precise definition varies by scientific context, the everyday nutritional sense remains anchored in energy measurement and metabolism.
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Words that rhyme with "calorie"
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