2 syllables: haz, ard. Stress on haz.
HAZ-urd
/ˈhæzɚd/
hazard is pronounced HAZ-urd (/ˈhæzɚd/). It has two syllables (haz-ard), with the stress on "haz". Hazard refers to a potential source of danger or risk, something that could cause harm. It can describe a situation, condition, or object presenting threat, or a warning about such risk. In everyday use, it often denotes both the threat itself and the action of exposing oneself to danger in a given context.
Hazard refers to a potential source of danger or risk, something that could cause harm. It can describe a situation, condition, or object presenting threat, or a warning about such risk. In everyday use, it often denotes both the threat itself and the action of exposing oneself to danger in a given context.
"The icy road poses a hazard to drivers, so slow down."
"The factory lacked proper guards, creating a safety hazard for workers."
"The chemical spill was a hazard that required immediate containment."
Hazard is pronounced with two syllables: /ˈhæz.ɚd/ in US and /ˈhæz.əd/ in UK/AU English. The stress falls on the first syllable: HAZ.ərd. Start with an open front unrounded vowel /æ/ as in ‘cat,’ then /z/ for the z sound, followed by a relaxed schwa /ə/ or /ɚ/ in the second syllable depending on accent, and end with /d/. Tip: keep the /z/ voice onset strong, then gently relax into the /ɚ/ or /ə/ before finishing with /d/. Audio reference: you can compare with common dictionaries or Forvo entries by searching “hazard.”
Two frequent errors: (1) turning the first syllable into a long /æː/ or /æɪ/ and drawing out the vowel too much, which makes it sound like ‘ha-azard’; (2) altering the second syllable to /ˈhæz.ɜrd/ or dropping the /ə/ so it sounds like ‘haz-erd.’ Correction: keep the first syllable short /hæz/ with crisp /z/, then use a short, relaxed vowel /ə/ or rhotacized /ɚ/ in the second syllable before the final /d/. Practice with minimal pair: haz-ard vs haz-ert to feel the short second vowel.
US tends to pronounce as /ˈhæz.ɚd/ with rhotic /ɚ/ in the second syllable. UK often renders the second vowel as /əd/ or /əː/ with a shorter, schwa-like quality and may be non-rhotic, so the /ɹ/ is not pronounced. Australia typically aligns with US rhotic tendencies, producing /ˈhaz.əd/ or /ˈhæz.əd/ depending on speaker. Key differences: rhoticity affects the second syllable vowel; vowel quality in the first syllable remains /æ/ but may be reduced in fast speech. Listen for the subtle /ɹ/ presence in US, absent in many UK pronunciations.
The difficulty lies in balancing a crisp /z/ immediately after a short /æ/ and then a relaxed, often reduced second syllable to /˚ərd/ or /əd/. Many speakers fuse /z/ and the following vowel, producing /ˈhæzɚd/ or /ˈhæzəd/ too quickly. The presence of the schwa or rhotacized vowel in the second syllable requires precise mouth relaxation to avoid a clipped or overly tense ending. Practice with slow drills to separate /hæz/ and /ərd/, then speed up while maintaining clarity.
A unique hazard-specific question: Is the second syllable pronounced with a distinct vowel or a reduced schwa in rapid speech? Answer: In careful speech, you’ll use a schwa or rhotacized vowel /ɚ/ in the second syllable (US), or a reduced /ə/ in UK/AU; in rapid, natural speech, the second syllable often merges slightly toward /ɚ/ or /əd/, but you still maintain /hæz/ as a stable onset. The key is to keep the /z/ crisp and not let the following vowel swallow the consonant. IPA guidance: /ˈhæz.ɚd/ (US), /ˈhæz.əd/ (UK/AU).
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Hazard comes from the late Latin word hazardem, derived from the Arabic word al-zahr, meaning dice or chance, reflecting a sense of risk or danger tied to randomness. The term entered English via French as hazard, historically connected to gambling and chance circumstances, then broadened to any source of danger. The current sense—something that could cause harm—emerged over centuries as trade, travel, and industry introduced new kinds of threats. In medieval and early modern English, hazard connoted risk from unpredictable events, not just physical danger. By the 19th century, hazard was widely used in safety, military, and insurance discourse to quantify or describe hazards in environments, processes, and products. First known uses often appear in legal and engineering texts, where risk assessment became formalized. Today, hazard programming and hazard analysis borrow from this lineage, emphasizing identification, evaluation, and mitigation of potential harm across domains, from workplace safety to digital security. The word retains its core sense of something that could go wrong, but is now frequently paired with adjectives like ‘potential,’ ‘environmental,’ or ‘chemical,’ to specify the kind of risk involved.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "hazard" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "hazard"
-ard sounds
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