2 syllables: cru, sade. Stress on sade.
kroo-SAYD
/kɹuˈseɪd/
crusade is pronounced kroo-SAYD (/kɹuˈseɪd/). It has two syllables (cru-sade), with the stress on "sade". Crusade is a noun or verb referring to a vigorous, organized campaign for a cause, often with religious, political, or ideological aims. It can also describe the act of leading such a campaign or participating in one. The term conveys intensity, mission, and organized effort, sometimes with historical or moral overtones.
Crusade is a noun or verb referring to a vigorous, organized campaign for a cause, often with religious, political, or ideological aims. It can also describe the act of leading such a campaign or participating in one. The term conveys intensity, mission, and organized effort, sometimes with historical or moral overtones.
- You’ll often shortcut the first syllable vowel from /uː/ to /u/ or /ʊ/, making it sound tense and irregular; fix by elongating the vowel and rounding the lips for /uː/ throughout the syllable. - Some learners drop or soften the final /d/ or merge it with the /eɪ/, producing /ˈkruː.seɪ/; ensure the /d/ is a distinct voiced stop. - Stress misplacement—putting the emphasis on the second syllable—can occur in fast speech; always anchor primary stress on the first syllable. Practice with slow repetition and stress-marking on the first syllable.
"- The volunteers launched a crusade against illiteracy, mobilizing communities nationwide."
"- He crusades for environmental reform, presenting data-driven arguments at every meeting."
"- The activist group organized a crusade to raise awareness about healthcare access."
Pronounce as /ˈkruː.seɪd/ in US and UK with primary stress on the first syllable. In Australian English you’ll hear /ˈkruː.seɪd/ as well, where the vowel in the first syllable is a long /uː/ similar to 'true.' Start with a rounded, back-high tongue position for /k/, then glide into /ruː/ with a tight lip rounding, followed by /seɪd/ where /eɪ/ is a long mid-front vowel and the final /d/ is released clearly. Mouth position: lips rounded for /uː/ then relax for /seɪd/. IPA: US/UK/AU: ˈkruː.seɪd.
Common errors: misplacing the primary stress (putting it on the second syllable) and shortening the /uː/ sound to a short /u/ or /ʌ/. Some learners also devoice the final /d/ or leave off the linking vowel in fast speech, producing /ˈkrusˌeɪd/ or /ˈkruːsed/. Correction: keep long /uː/ in the first syllable with /ˈkruː-/ and clearly release the /eɪ/ before the final /d/. Practice slow: /ˈkruː.seɪd/ and then pace-up, ensuring the final /d/ is voiced and audible.
US/UK tend to share /ˈkruː.seɪd/ with a stressed first syllable; UK may have a slightly more clipped /ˈkruː.seɪd/ and less rhotacism. Australian English typically maintains the /ˈkruː.seɪd/ pattern but with a more centralized or rounded /uː/ and a noticeably less vowel length difference in connected speech. Overall, the main variation is vowel quality and rhythm rather than phoneme inventory. IPA: US/UK/AU: ˈkruː.seɪd.
Two main challenges: the long /uː/ in the first syllable demands a sustained, rounded lip position without turning into /u/ or /ʊ/. The second challenge is the /eɪ/ in the second syllable, which requires a precise glide from /se/ into /eɪ/ before the final /d/. Misplacing stress or rushing the /eɪd/ can blur syllable boundaries. Use IPA cues: /ˈkruː.seɪd/ and practice slow, precise transitions.
The first syllable uses a long, tense /uː/ with a rounded lips posture that remains fairly steady across rapid speech, avoiding a shortened /u/ or /ʊ/. The /r/ in 'cru' is typically clear in rhotic accents but can be less pronounced or slightly vocalized in non-rhotic dialects; maintain a light, controlled rhotic release when speaking as a speaker of US English to ensure /r/ is heard in connected speech.
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- US: you’ll hear a clear rhotic /r/; keep the /r/ post-alveolar with a slight curl of the tongue tip. Vowel length of /uː/ is maintained in careful speech. - UK: less rhoticity in some varieties, but the /r/ is still recognizable before a back vowel; pay attention to a slightly tighter vowel quality and shorter /uː/ than US. - AU: tends toward a robust /uː/ with a more centralized vowel; maintain the same primary stress and ensure the /seɪd/ glide remains distinct. IPA: US/UK/AU: ˈkruː.seɪd.
Crusade comes from the Middle English croisaden, from Old French croisade, derived from crois, croisier meaning ‘to carry the cross.’ The sense evolved from a religiously sanctioned military expedition (the Crusades of the 11th–13th centuries) to a broader metaphor for a vigorous, organized campaign for any cause. The root crois (cross) underscores the original religious motivation, with -ade echoing a sustained action or campaign in European languages. First recorded in the 14th century in English, crusade gradually broadened beyond explicit religious warfare to describe social, political, or reformist campaigns. The word’s historical weight—associations with Crusades and religious authority—often colors contemporary usage with a sense of moral purpose or reform zeal, though modern usage can be secular or activist in tone. Over time, the term has retained its connotation of organized, communal effort, sometimes with a moral dimension, and is frequently found in political discourse and journalism to describe ambitious reform movements. In current usage, the term can carry both neutral and evaluative tones depending on context, emphasizing structure, commitment, and collective action around a stated cause.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "crusade" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "crusade"
-ade sounds
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