2 syllables: dir, ty. Stress on dir.
DUR-tee
/ˈdɝti/
dirty is pronounced DUR-tee (/ˈdɝti/). It has two syllables (dir-ty), with the stress on "dir". Dirty describes something covered in or consisting of grime or mud; it can also refer to morally unclean or improper behavior. In everyday speech, it often conveys rough texture or unpleasantness and may imply neglect or sullied conditions. The term is common in informal to semi-formal contexts and frequently appears in idioms and descriptive phrases.
Dirty describes something covered in or consisting of grime or mud; it can also refer to morally unclean or improper behavior. In everyday speech, it often conveys rough texture or unpleasantness and may imply neglect or sullied conditions. The term is common in informal to semi-formal contexts and frequently appears in idioms and descriptive phrases.
- Remember you’ll hear a high-mid back vowel with rhotic coloring; avoid replacing it with a plain schwa. - Do not over-articulate the /r/ in non-rhotic contexts; allow a natural, soft linking to the /ti/ - Keep the /t/ light and unaspirated before /i/ to prevent a heavy click or a jittery transition. - Don’t elongate either syllable; maintain a crisp, two-syllable rhythm with primary stress on the first syllable.
"The garage floor is dirty from oil leaks."
"He spoke with a dirty smile she didn’t trust."
"Don't touch that—it's dirty and need to be cleaned."
Pronounced as /ˈdɜːrti/ in US and UK; the first syllable carries primary stress. Start with a mid-back vowel sound similar to 'fur' but with r-coloring for US: /ɜːr/. The second syllable is a short /ti/ with a clean, crisp /t/ followed by a light /i/ like 'tea' without drawing out the vowel. In casual speech, the /r/ may be slightly reduced, yielding a smoother transition: /ˈdɜːti/. A pronunciation reference: listen to a native speaker saying ‘dirty’ in phrases like “dirty hands” to capture the natural linking. IPA guidance: US /ˈdɜːrti/, UK /ˈdɜːti/, AU /ˈdɜːti/.
Common errors include neutralizing the /ɜː/ to a schwa /ə/ or mispronouncing the /r/—saying /ˈdæti/ or /ˈditri/. Another frequent issue is a heavily aspirated /t/ or a dropped /r/ in non-rhotic environments. Correct these by maintaining the /ɜː/ vowel with r-coloring for US/UK, ensuring the /t/ is a light, alveolar stop, and producing a short, high-front vowel /i/ in the second syllable. Practice gentle linking: /ˈdɜːr.tɪ/ rather than breaking the syllables too abruptly.
In US English, /ˈdɜːrti/ features rhotic /ɜːr/ with pronounced r-coloring. UK English tends to have a shorter /ɜː/ and may be less rhotic in some dialects, affecting the r-coloring slightly. Australian English generally mirrors US/UK rhotic tendencies but may exhibit a flatter vowel in /ɜː/ and a lightly released /t/. Across all, the second syllable remains /ti/; the main variance is the vowel quality and rhoticity of the first syllable.
The difficulty centers on the /ɜːr/ vowel with r-coloring, which produces a complex tongue position: mid-back with raised back of the tongue and retroflex-like r in many speakers. For non-rhotic accents, the /r/ may be subtle or omitted, changing the vowel feel. Additionally, the /t/ followed by a high front vowel /i/ creates a rapid tongue move from a mid back to high front; timing and air flow must be precise to avoid a muffled or prolonged /t/. Mastery involves fluid alveolar-tap transitions and stable lip rounding.
A unique query is whether the initial consonant cluster could sound like /dʒ/ in fast speech. While some speakers may voice a slightly affricated onset near /dʒ/ in casual whispery speech, standard careful pronunciation avoids this, keeping /d/ as a clear alveolar stop. The key word-specific nuance is maintaining the strong, stressed first syllable with a precise /ɜːr/ vowel and ensuring the final /ti/ is short and crisp rather than dragging into a long /ti/. IPA reminder: /ˈdɜːrti/.
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- US: rhotic /ɜːr/ with a bit more nucleus energy; keep lips relaxed but slightly rounded and allow the tongue to shade toward the back. - UK: /ˈdɜːti/ with a clearer, shorter /ɜː/ and less pronounced rhoticity in some dialects; the /t/ remains crisp. - AU: Similar to US/UK but may show a lighter vowel height and even faster transition to /ti/; keep the /ɜː/ stable and the final /ti/ clean. IPA: US /ˈdɜːrti/, UK /ˈdɜːti/, AU /ˈdɜːti/.
Dirty originates from the Old English word dirtian or sorting forms linked to dirt, mud, and filth, ultimately from Proto-Germanic *dirtiz, indicating dirt or soil. The semantic field broadened over the centuries to include moral impurity and figurative contamination, with early senses tied to physical filth, then evolving to describe moral or reputational uncleanliness. By Middle English, dirty frequently described both literal grime and metaphorical taint, such as dirty deeds or dirty language. The word's core meaning has remained stable through modern usage, though modern English happily pairs it with a variety of nouns (dirty joke, dirty look) and uses it in idioms (dirty laundry, dirty trick). First known written attestations appear in late Old English/early Middle English manuscripts, with robust evidence in 12th–14th century texts that show both physical and moral connotations coexisting in the vocabulary. The sense development also branches into urban slang and descriptive adjectives in contemporary American and British usage, where tone and register affect how harsh or humorous the word feels in context.
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Words that rhyme with "dirty"
-me) sounds
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