4 syllables: com, mu, ni, que. Stress on mu.
/kəˈmjunəˌkeɪ/
communique is pronounced /kəˈmjunəˌkeɪ/. It has four syllables (com-mu-ni-que), with the stress on "mu". A formal message or statement issued to convey information, typically in written form from an organization. It can also refer to an official memo or press release intended for distribution to a specific audience. The term often implies a concise, structured communication intended for broad or targeted recipients.
Say it backA formal message or statement issued to convey information, typically in written form from an organization. It can also refer to an official memo or press release intended for distribution to a specific audience. The term often implies a concise, structured communication intended for broad or targeted recipients.
- You might drop the middle /j/ or merge /mjuː/ into /mjuː/ quickly, resulting in /ˈkɒmjuːkjuː/ or /ˈkämjəkjuː/. Keep /m/ + /j/ distinct before the /uː/. - Misplacing stress on the first syllable: say /ˈkɒm/ with heavy second syllable; instead, the main stress sits on the third syllable: /ˌkämyəˈkyo͞o/. - Final cluster mispronunciation: final /kjuː/ should be a single, rounded /kjuː/; avoid pronouncing as /kuː/ or /kju/ without the long /uː/. Practice the transition from /yə/ to /kyo͞o/ with a smooth lip rounding.
"The ministry released a communique detailing new environmental guidelines."
"During the crisis, the ambassador issued a communique to clarify the country’s position."
"An internal communique circulated among executives outlined the merger terms."
Stress falls on the last two syllables: com-my-QUE. In IPA: US/UK/AU: ˌkämyəˈkyo͞o. In careful speech you’ll delay the final syllable slightly and use a light, non-rhotic end in many dialects. The sequence includes /k/ + /ə/ (schwa) + /m/ before /j/ /uː/. Mouth: start with a small lip seal, raise the tongue blade for /m/ and /j/, then round slightly for /uː/. Audio reference: https://www.pronouncekiwi.com/communique
Two frequent errors: misplacing stress (placing on the first or second syllable) and mispronouncing the final /uː/ as a short /u/ or /juː/. Correction: emphasize the final syllable with a clear /kyo͞o/ and keep the earlier /kämyə/ unstressed. Practice the sequence /ˌkäm/ /yə/ /ˈkyo͞o/ with slow tempo, then speed up.
US tends to give an American /ˈkʌm(j)əˌkjuː/ feel with a midsized /ə/ in the second syllable and a clear /juː/ at the end. UK often features a slightly tighter /ɒ/ or /ɒm/ onset in the first syllable and a non-rhotic ending, with /ˈkɒmjʊˌkjuː/ variants. Australian tends toward a rounded /ɒ/ or /ɒm/ with a slower nucleus and a longer /uː/ in the final syllable. Reference: IPA guides and dictionaries.
The difficulty lies in the three-syllable balance and the unfamiliar /kyuː/ cluster at the end, along with the optional secondary stress in the middle syllable. The combination /-mju-/ can trip speakers who pause after /m/ or misplace the /j/ sound. Also, the final /kjuː/ requires lip rounding transitioning from /m/ to /j/ smoothly.
A notable feature is the secondary onset /mju-/ blended as /mjuː/ in fluent speech, not fully separating /m/ and /j/. The vowel in the first syllable often reduces to schwa /ə/ in fast speech, while the final /kjuː/ maintains a tight lip rounding into a long back vowel. In careful speech, you’ll maintain clear /j/ before /uː/ to avoid /juː/ coalescing.
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- US: use a rhotic r? No, communique is non-rhotic in many dialects; ensure no post-vocalic r intrusion. Vowel qualities: /ɒ/ in UK variant, /ɒ/ or /ɑ/ depending on region; US often /ɔː/ in careful speech. Final /juː/ is a rounded, close back vowel; keep lips rounded through the /j/ and into /uː/. - UK: slightly shorter middle /yə/ and a more clipped /kjuː/; avoid American /ɪə/ tendencies. AU: broadening vowels, longer nucleus in /ə/ and /juː/ tends to be more open; maintain clear /j/ for /juː/. - IPA anchors: /ˌkämyəˈkyo͞o/ US/UK/AU; mental guide to stress and rounding. Practice with minimal pairs to hear the shift in vowel length and tongue placement.
Commune comes from the Old French commun, related to Latin communis meaning common or shared. The form communique derives from French, where -ique is a suffix forming adjectives or nouns, often implying a result or product of a process. Historically, communique emerged in the 19th and 20th centuries in diplomatic and journalistic contexts to designate an official statement issued by an organization or government. The word inherited the sense of a public message intended for dissemination. Over time, its use broadened beyond diplomacy to include any formal internal or external message. The earliest English attestations appear in diplomatic correspondence and press practice, with publications in newspapers adopting the term to signal an official, brief statement as opposed to a full report. In modern usage, communique retains its formal tone, often appearing in international relations, corporate communications, and journalism. The morphological composition reflects its French origin, combining a base sense of shared information (commun) with a suffix that marks a product or result (ique), yielding a precise, somewhat ceremonial term.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "communique" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "communique"
-que sounds
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