3 syllables: em, bar, rass. Stress on bar.
/ɪmˈbæɹəs/
Say it backEmbarrass is a transitive verb meaning to cause someone to feel self-conscious, ashamed, or awkward. It also refers to causing someone to feel discomfort or shame in a social setting. The word carries a sense of social misalignment or exposure, often resulting in a momentary loss of composure or confidence. The standard pronunciation places the primary stress on the second syllable.
"She didn’t intend to embarrass her colleague, but the comment did."
"He was embarrassed when his microphone malfunctioned during the presentation."
"The prank could embarrass him publicly, so they canceled it."
Pronunciation is /ɪmˈbærəs/. Put slight emphasis on the second syllable. Start with a quick, light ‘em’ sound, then a strong, open 'bar' syllable, and finish with a soft 'əs'. The ‘rr’ in embarrass is not a hard rhotic roll; rather, the r is a smooth American-style rhotic. For guidance, imagine saying “im-BA-ruhs” with a short quick final vowel. IPA cues: /ɪm/ + /ˈbær/ + /əs/.
Common errors include over-pronouncing the second syllable or turning the final unstressed -ass into a strong -ass syllable. Avoid pronouncing the middle vowel as a full schwa in ’bar’; keep it /ær/. Another frequent error is pronouncing the final syllable as ’raise’ or ‘rise’ instead of a weak /əs/. Correct by reinforcing the weak final /əs/ with a light, short -uh sound and not adding extra vowel length. Practice with minimal pairs to solidify /ˈbær/ vs /bæɚ/ and the final /əs/.
In US/UK/AU, the primary stress remains on the second syllable: /ɪmˈbærəs/. US rhotic pronunciation includes a pronounced /ɹ/ in the second syllable, while UK accents often feature a slightly shorter /ə/ in the final syllable and less obvious post-vocalic r. Australian English tends to maintain /ɪmˈbæɹəs/ with a more centralized vowel in the final unstressed syllable and a non-rhotic tendency or light rhoticity depending on the speaker. The vowel /æ/ in ’bar’ is typically the same broad-a but quality can vary slightly by accent.
The difficulty comes from the cluster -rr- and the unstressed final -ass. In American English the mid- to low-front vowel in /ˈbær/ must be precise but not exaggerated; the post-vocalic r can be subtle in non-rhotic tendencies. The final /əs/ is short and reduced; speakers often insert an extra syllable or overemphasize the last vowel. Also, the word’s length with the two consonant clusters can easily cause epenthesis (an extra vowel) or misplacement of the primary stress.
Why does embarrassment concentrate stress on the second syllable despite the 'rr' cluster? Because the root morpheme carries the vocal emphasis in the base verb form; English often places stress on the root syllable (the second syllable in embarrass), creating a stable rhythm. The following unstressed -ass is reduced, which keeps the cadence natural in fluent speech. Understanding this helps with natural phrasing and reduces over-clarification in fast speech.
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Embarrass comes from the French word embarrasser, formed from en- (in) + barasser (to harass, annoy) which itself traces to Late Latin erbatiare “to obstruct,” related to the Old French embarras “a hindrance” and the later noun embarrasment. The sense evolved in Early Modern English to mean “to cause confusion or self-consciousness” and later specifically “to cause to feel ashamed or awkward.” The spelling with double r and double s reflects French influence and English phonetic adaptation. First known use in English dates to around the 18th century, where the figurative meaning of causing confusion or obstruction gradually narrowed to social discomfort and shame in everyday speech. The word’s pronunciation stabilized to /ɪmˈbærəs/ in American English, with slight vowels and rhotic variations across dialects. The core element is the prefix em- (variant of en- before bilabial/m labial sounds) combined with bar- from French harass- evolution, making the empathy-laden verb associated with social disruption. The modern form embeds the stress on the second syllable, consistent with many English words of similar morphology.” ,
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Words that rhyme with "embarrass"
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