2 syllables: gui, tar. Stress on tar.
/ɡɪˈtɑɹ/
guitar is pronounced /ɡɪˈtɑɹ/. It has two syllables (gui-tar), with the stress on "tar". Guitar is a fretted string instrument played by plucking or strumming, typically with six strings and a neck with a fingerboard. In everyday use, it denotes the instrument itself, its sound, and the act of playing it. The term often appears in contexts of music performance, instruction, and discussion of genres or technique.
Say it backGuitar is a fretted string instrument played by plucking or strumming, typically with six strings and a neck with a fingerboard. In everyday use, it denotes the instrument itself, its sound, and the act of playing it. The term often appears in contexts of music performance, instruction, and discussion of genres or technique.
"She bought a vintage guitar and learned chords in a weekend."
"The guitarist warmed up with scales before the recital."
"He traded his old guitar for a newer model with better pickups."
US: /ˈɡɪtɑɹ/; UK/US consensus often written as /ˈɡɪtɑː(˞)/ or /ˈɡɪtɑː/. The stress is on the first syllable. The first vowel is a lax near-front /ɪ/, the second syllable has a low back vowel /ɑ/ with a non-rhotic or rhotic r depending on dialect. Mouth position: start with a brief /ɡ/ stop, then /ɪ/ produced with a relaxed tongue, followed by a broad /t/ release and a low open /ɑ/ tongue, finally an /ɹ/ or silence in non-rhotic accents. Use a clear, quick transition between syllables to avoid an added schwa. For listening practice, compare with nearby words like “kit” and “tar.” Audio reference: Pronounce or Forvo entries for “guitar.”
Two frequent errors: (1) Over-adding a schwa in the second syllable, effectively saying /ˈɡɪ.tə.r/; (2) Erroneous prolongation of /ɪ/ or turning /t/ into a flap or /d/. Correction: keep the second syllable as /tɑ/ with a crisp /t/ release and a short or neutral /ə/ only if your dialect allows reduced vowels; for most speakers, /ˈɡɪ.tɑː(ɹ)/ in rhotic accents or /ˈɡɪ.tɑː/ in non-rhotic accents. Practice by isolating the two syllables: /ˈɡɪ/ then /tɑː/ and ensure the /t/ lands before the open back vowel. Use minimal pair practice with “kit” and “car” to calibrate vowel and consonant positions.
US tends to have /ˈɡɪtɑɹ/ with a rhotic /ɹ/ and a short /ɪ/; UK/AU often realize /ˈɡɪtɑː/ with a longer, open back /ɑː/ and sometimes a less pronounced /r/ in non-rhotic speech. The key is vowel quality: US favors a shorter, tenser /ɪ/ and rhotic r; UK/AU favor a longer /ɑː/ and non-rhotic or lightly rhotic endings. In Australian English, vowels can be more centralized and diphthongs may shift, but /ˈɡɪtɑː/ remains a common target. Listen to models in Pronounce or YouGlish to compare regional realizations.
The difficulty lies in the rapid sequence /ˈɡɪ.tɑ:/ between a high-front lax vowel and a low-back vowel, often with a tense /ɪ/ followed by a clean /t/ release and a trailing /ɹ/ or none, depending on dialect. The non-final syllable requires a controlled back-vowel projection, which many English learners find challenging to sustain without adding an extra vowel or distorting the /t/. Mastery comes from isolating the syllables, maintaining crisp /t/ release, and training the lip and jaw to adjust from front to back vowel smoothly.
A guitar’s helper cues: keep the mouth slightly open for /ɪ/ but drop jaw for /ɑː/ to avoid widening into a more rounded /ɔ/; the second syllable should not receive extra emphasis beyond the natural rhythm of English speech. Maintain a steady, even tempo between syllables and avoid a delay before /t/; the tongue should prepare for the /t/ in the alveolar ridge just behind the upper teeth. In fast speech, the /ɪ/ can be lightly reduced, but do not collapse the vowels entirely; you still want audible contrast with “kit” and “cat.”
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The word guitar derives from the ancient Greek kithara, which in turn comes from the Persian and Arabic tanbur traditions. The modern term traced through Latin guitarra and Spanish guitarra, acquiring its current spelling and pronunciation in the Romance-speaking world during the Middle Ages. The earliest Western references to the instrument in its guitar-like form appear in Iberian and French manuscripts from the 12th to 15th centuries, with the instrument evolving from a long-neck, plucked chordophone into the modern six-string acoustic and electric variants. Throughout the Renaissance and Baroque periods, regional designs varied widely, and the word’s pronunciation shifted along with changes in vowel quality and syllable stress. In English, guitar most likely arrived via Spanish guitarra or French guitare, with the dominant modern pronunciation GEE-tar emerging in the 18th to 19th centuries as English speakers adopted a simpler two-syllable structure and a hard final “r” in rhotic dialects. First known use in English citations appears in the 18th century dictionaries and musical treatises, consolidating the term into contemporary usage as the standard identifier for the instrument across genres and cultures.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "guitar" and can often be used interchangeably.
🔄 These words have opposite meanings to "guitar" and show contrast in usage.
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Words that rhyme with "guitar"
-tar sounds
-gar sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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