Carey Mulligan (born 1985) is a British actress known for roles in An Education and The Great Gatsby. As a proper noun, her name is spoken with two distinct given and surname elements, typically stressed on the first syllable of the surname following the given name. The pronunciation blends American and British vowel quality, commonly anglicized in media presentations.
US: Carey /ˈkær.i/ with a flat ‘a’ like cat; Mulligan /ˈmʌl.ɪ.ɡən/. UK: Carey often /ˈkeə.ri/ or /ˈkɛə.ri/ depending on speaker, Mulligan /ˈmʌl.ɪ.ɡən/; AU: similar to US but with less rhotization in some speakers, often /ˈkæɹi/ or /ˈkeəri/ and /ˈmʌl.ɪɡən/; common cross-dialect adjustments: keep Carey two-syllable with mid vowel, Mulligan crisp on first syllable. IPA references help define vowel quality and consonant clarity.
"I really enjoyed Carey Mulligan's performance in An Education."
"She spoke with a clear and poised accent during the interview."
"Carey Mulligan has become a recognizable name in contemporary cinema."
"The press often quotes Carey Mulligan without altering the pronunciation."
Carey Mulligan is a compound proper noun formed from a given name and a surname. Carey, a surname-turned-given-name of Irish origin, can be linked to Gaelic Mael Sechnaill or O'Carey roots, but in this usage functions as a first name with English pronunciation. Mulligan is a patronymic Irish surname derived from the Gaelic O Maoilmheachtaigh or Ó Maoilmhachthaigh, meaning 'descendant of the devotee of Saint Maoltach,' with anglicized spelling evolving through immigration and phonetic simplification. In modern English usage, Carey is often pronounced as /ˈkɛəri/ or /ˈkeəri/ (two syllables) and Mulligan as /ˈmʌlɪɡən/ or /ˈmʌlɪɡən/ (two syllables). The first known attestations in English literature occur in the 19th and 20th centuries, but the association with the actress Carey Mulligan made the sequence widely recognized post-2009 with her rise to prominence. Over time, media pronunciation has tended toward a relatively neutral, non-rhotic treatment in some contexts, but broadcasters may preserve British vowel qualities, especially in the surname, reflecting her British origin while sometimes adopting a softer Americanized vowel in the given name.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "Carey Mulligan" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "Carey Mulligan"
-ion sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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Pronunciation: /ˈkær.i ˈmʌl.ɪ.ɡən/ (US) or /ˈkeə.ri ˈmʌl.ɪ.ɡən/ (UK). Stress falls on the first syllable of Carey and on Mulligan’s first syllable. Begin with a short, open ‘ca’ as in cat, then a light ‘ree’ vowel; Mulligan starts with 'mul' like 'mull' and ends with 'igan' as 'ih-gun'. Tip: avoid reducing Carey to ‘Care,’ keep the two-syllable given name distinct, and enunciate Mulligan’s initial 'mul' clearly before a cropped final -igan.”,
Common mistakes: 1) merging Carey to a single-syllable 'carey' like 'carry'; correct by practicing /ˈkær.i/ with a clear second syllable. 2) Slurring Mulligan into ‘Mulligan’ as ‘Mull-gan’ with a soft 'i' or dropping the middle syllable; correct by isolating /ˈmʌl.ɪ.ɡən/ and emphasizing the 'li' and 'gan' segments. 3) Misplacing stress on Mulligan (e.g., /ˈmʌlɪˌɡæn/); fix by maintaining primary stress on Mulligan’s first syllable /ˈmʌl/ and two short vowels. IPA cues and mouth positions help: Carey = /ˈkær.i/; Mulligan = /ˈmʌl.ɪ.ɡən/.
Accent differences: US tends toward /ˈkæri/ with a clearer short 'a' and /ˈmʌl.ɪ.ɡən/; UK commonly uses /ˈkeəri/ with a longer, rounded 'ea' and /ˈmʌl.ɪ.ɡən/; Australian typically shows /ˈkæɹi/ or /ˈkeəɹi/ with a rhotic/non-rhotic balance depending on speaker, and /ˈmʌl.ɪ.ɡən/ or /ˈmʌləɡən/ in rapid speech. Vowel quality shifts (Cary vs Carey) reflect rhoticity and vowel length; Mulligan remains the same per syllable boundaries, but the final -gan may be clipped in fast speech.
Difficulties stem from: 1) Carey’s two-syllable, front-vowel [ˈkær.i] vs later [ˈkeəri] variations; the transition from 'Care' to 'ry' requires careful vowel pairing and a light, separate second syllable. 2) Mulligan’s three-phoneme initial cluster /mʌl/ followed by a light /ɪ/ and final /ɡən/ can be challenging to keep crisp when speaking quickly. 3) Cross-dialect expectations—UK’s non-rhoticity and vowel-length influences can alter perceived pronunciation. Focus on maintaining a clean /ˈmʌl.ɪ.ɡən/ ending while preserving Carey’s two distinct syllables.
Unique feature: the separation in Carey’s two-syllable given name often contrasts with Mulligan’s three-consonant onset cluster /mʌl-/. The surname begins with a clear /m/ followed by a stressed /ʌ/ and a soft /l/ before the /ɪ/ and final /ɡən/. Practicing the sequence as two distinct words helps: Carey (CAIR-ee) and Mulligan (MULL-ih-gun). Emphasize the first syllable of Mulligan to prevent a blend that obscures the name’s two-part rhythm.
🗣️ Voice search tip: These questions are optimized for voice search. Try asking your voice assistant any of these questions about "Carey Mulligan"!
- Shadowing: listen to a 10-15 second clip of Carey Mulligan being interviewed; imitate exactly, pause after each phrase to check vowel length and consonants. - Minimal pairs: compare Carey /ˈkær.i/ vs carry /ˈkæri/; Mulligan /ˈmʌl.ɪ.ɡən/ vs mulligan (slang) vs… practice with these pairs. - Rhythm practice: practice two-beat staccato on Carey, then three-beat on Mulligan; aim for natural timing and avoid running them together. - Stress practice: place primary stress on Carey and Mulligan’s first syllable; avoid stressing the final syllables. - Recording: record yourself, compare to reference, note where the vowels drift and where the final consonants blur; re-record until you match the target rhythm and clarity.
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