5 syllables: Co, or, di, na, tor. Stress on or.
koh-AWR-duh-nay-tur
/koʊˈɔɹdəˌneɪtɚ/
Coordinator is pronounced koh-AWR-duh-nay-tur (/koʊˈɔɹdəˌneɪtɚ/). It has five syllables (Co-or-di-na-tor), with the stress on "or". Coordinator is a noun meaning a person or mechanism that organizes activities or people to work together efficiently. It denotes someone who brings elements into harmony or a system that aligns components toward a common goal. In organizational contexts, it can refer to roles that supervise scheduling, resources, and collaboration across teams.
nounCoordinator is a noun meaning a person or mechanism that organizes activities or people to work together efficiently. It denotes someone who brings elements into harmony or a system that aligns components toward a common goal. In organizational contexts, it can refer to roles that supervise scheduling, resources, and collaboration across teams.
- 2-3 common challenges: misplacing stress (placing on the first syllable: CO- or on the third: coor-di-NA-tor), mispronouncing /ɔː/ as /ɒ/ or /ɑː/, and over-emphasizing the final -tor making it sound like /tɔːr/ instead of /tər/. Tips: rehearse KO-OR-di-nay-tor in slow motion to lock the stress on the second syllable; keep final /ər/ light or reduced in non-rhotic accents; practice the sequence /koʊˈɔːrdɪneɪtər/ with a clear /d/ and a short, relaxed final syllable. Record yourself and compare to a model. Keep a steady syllable rhythm, and isolate the tricky /ɔːr/ vowel pair, ensuring your lips are rounded for /ɔː/ and your jaw relaxes into /r/ without tension.
How to Pronounce Coordinator
"The event coordinator arranged venues, vendors, and volunteers for the conference."
"As a project coordinator, she tracks deadlines and coordinates team communications."
"The disaster-response coordinator ensured all agencies shared information in real time."
Pronounce as ko-OR-di-nay-tor with primary stress on the second syllable: /koʊˌɔːr.dɪˈneɪ.tər/ (US) or /kəʊˈɔːdɪnəˌtɔː/ (UK). Start with a clear /k/ release, then a stressed /ɔːr/ vowel cluster, followed by /dɪ/ and a final /neɪ.tər/ or /nəˈtɔː/. Visualize mouth positioning: lips relaxed, front teeth gently touching lower lip for /oʊ/ then retract for /ɔːr/. You’ll want a crisp /d/ and a light, unstressed final /ər/ in non-rhotic varieties. For audio reference, listen to professional pronunciation resources and imitate the cadence.
Common errors include misplacing the stress (saying co-OR-di-nator with wrong emphasis) and mispronouncing the middle vowel as /æ/ or /ʌ/ instead of /ɪ/. Another frequent issue is tensing the final /r/ in non-rhotic accents, sounding like /-tɔː/ instead of /-tər/. Correct by practicing the rhythm KO-OR-di-nay-tor and ensuring the /d/ is light and the final syllable is reduced in non-rhotic speech.
In US English, stress on the second syllable with clear /ɔːr/ and a pronounced final /tər/; the r-coloring is strong. UK English tends to reduce the final /r/ and may place slightly different vowel qualities, with /kəʊˈɔːdɪnəˌteɪ/ or /kəʊˈɔːdɪneɪ.tə/. Australian tends toward a broad /ˈkəʊˌɔːdɪneɪtə/ with less rhoticity, vowels closer to /ɔː/ or /ɒ/ depending on speaker. In all cases, keep the second-syllable stress, but adjust rhoticity and vowel length to reflect the dialect.
Because multiple adjacent consonants and a diphthong in the first syllable meet at a semi-stressed middle: the sequence co-OR-di-na-tor blends the /ɔːr/ with the following /d/ and /ɪ/, and the final /tər/ reduces in rapid speech. The challenge is keeping the second syllable prominent without over-elongating the entire word, and balancing the weak final syllable with a crisp /t/ onset. Practice isolating the stressed second syllable and slow transitions through the word.
Focus on the nucleus of the second syllable /ɔːr/ and ensure the following /d/ is lightly released rather than glued. A practical cue is to say ko-OR-dih-nay-tor while keeping the mouth slightly more open for /ɔː/ and then closing smoothly into /d/ and the nasal /n/ that begins the third syllable. This helps maintain the distinctive rhythm and prevents the middle from blurring with the first or last syllables.
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- US: rhotic, /r/ pronounced; stress on the second syllable; the /ɔːr/ cluster is prominent. - UK: non-rhotic tendency; final /r/ may be silent; stress pattern preserved; /ɔː/ vowel often longer; - AU: non-rhotic or weak-rhotacized; vowels lean toward /ɔː/ or /ɒ/ depending on region; keep rhythm KO-OR-di-nay-tor; IPA references: US /koʊˈɔːrdɪneɪtər/, UK /kəʊˈɔːdɪnəˌteɪ/ or /kəʊˈɔːdɪneɪtə/, AU /kəʊˈɔːdɪnəˌteɪtə/.
Coordinator comes from the Latin co- ('together') and ordinare ('to arrange, set in order'), with the English suffix -ator denoting an agent noun. The notion of coordinating activities emerged in the 17th–18th centuries as English borrowed scientific and administrative vocabulary. The modern sense—someone who organizes or harmonizes people, resources, or duties—developed in mid-20th century administrative and corporate contexts, where roles like “coordinator” described individuals responsible for cross-functional alignment. The word typically implies collaborative leadership without the authoritative power of a manager, emphasizing synchronization and alignment rather than direct control. First known uses appear in government and corporate documents from the early 1900s, but the term gained widespread usage with organizational theory and project management practices after World War II as teams grew more complex and requiring smoother interdepartmental cooperation.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "Coordinator" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "Coordinator"
-tor sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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