3 syllables: com, man, der. Stress on man.
kuh-MAN-dur
/kəˈmændɚ/
commander is pronounced kuh-MAN-dur (/kəˈmændɚ/). It has three syllables (com-man-der), with the stress on "man". Commander is a mostly two-syllable noun referring to a person in command, or a title rank in military or organizational contexts. It denotes leadership responsibility and directive authority, often in charge of strategic decisions or mission execution. The term carries formal or formal-adjacent connotations and is frequently used in military, police, and organizational hierarchies.
Commander is a mostly two-syllable noun referring to a person in command, or a title rank in military or organizational contexts. It denotes leadership responsibility and directive authority, often in charge of strategic decisions or mission execution. The term carries formal or formal-adjacent connotations and is frequently used in military, police, and organizational hierarchies.
"The commander issued a new set of orders to the troop battalion."
"She rose to the rank of commander after years of exemplary service."
"In the meeting, the project commander outlined the milestones and budget."
Pronounce as COM-man-der with first-syllable stress. IPA is /ˈkɒm.ən.də(r)/ in US and UK, with final r often non-rhotic in UK. In US you’ll hear /ˈkɒmˌmæn.dɚ/ in some speakers, but standard is /ˈkɒm.ən.dɚ/. Mouth: begin with a strong bilabial onset /k/, then a light /ɒ/ as in 'cot', reduce second syllable to /ən/ with a schwa-like quality, and finish with /dər/ or /dɚ/ depending on accent. Audio reference: consult Cambridge or Forvo for native speaker realizations.
Two frequent errors: over-emphasizing the second syllable (com-MAN-der) or pronouncing it like 'commander' with a rolled 'r' in non-rhotic accents. Correction: keep primary stress on the first syllable /ˈkɒm/; reduce the middle to /ən/ instead of /æ/; end with a soft /dɚ/ or /də/ in non-rhotic speech. Practice: say 'KOM,' then softly blur the ‘mən’, then a light ‘der’.
US: rhotic /ˈkɒm.ən.dɚ/ with clear /ɚ/ ending; UK: non-rhotic /ˈkɒm.ən.də/ and a shorter /ə/ ending; AU: similar to UK but with broader vowel in /ɒ/ and a variable /ə/ at the end. Emphasis remains on the first syllable. Vowel quality shifts: US tends toward /ɚ/ in the final syllable; UK often reduces to /ə/. In all cases, the middle /ə/ is weak and unstressed.
The difficulty lies in the unstressed, reduced middle syllable and the final consonant cluster. The sequence /ən.dər/ blends quickly in fast speech, which can cause a slurred /ndə/ or an over-articulated /ən.dɚ/. Additionally, the final /ər/ in rhotic accents vs /ə/ in non-rhotic accents causes subtle length and rhoticity differences that can trip learners when switching between dialects.
Yes. The primary stress is on the first syllable: COM-man-der. The middle syllable is weakly stressed or unstressed in fluent speech. The challenge is keeping the first syllable crisp /kɒm/ while not overemphasizing the middle, which can lead to an awkward triplet. Practice with slow, then normal tempo to lock the stress timing.
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Commander derives from the Old French comander, from com- “with, together” + -mander from mando, mandare “to command” (Latin mandare). The root mando appears in many command-related words across Romance languages, indicating an act of ordering or entrusting. In medieval and early modern English, comander referred specifically to a person who commands or an official with authority, evolving into the established military rank and informal usage for leaders in various organizations. The spelling-to-sound relationship was stabilized in the 16th–17th centuries as English pronunciation shifted; the final -er suffix marks agentive role, while the internal vowel reduction in connected speech makes the second syllable less prominent. First known uses appear in legal and military documents from the late Middle English period, with a pronounced emphasis on the first syllable as the root of authority. Today, commander is widely recognized in both formal titles (e.g., Navy/air force ranks) and figurative leadership contexts, retaining the sense of directive capacity across languages that borrow the term.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "commander" and can often be used interchangeably.
🔄 These words have opposite meanings to "commander" and show contrast in usage.
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Words that rhyme with "commander"
-der sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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