jour

In careful pronunciation, say it as dʒuːr in US/UK transliteration, but in refined French-influenced speech you’d aim for the French [ʒuʁ]. Stress falls on the single syllable. To approximate in English, start with a light dʒ sound (like judge) followed by a long u as in 'you' and end with a silent-ish or lightly pronounced r depending on accent. IPA guidance: US/UK ~ [dʒɔːɹ] or [ʒuːʁ] in careful French-influenced speech; French-in-origin realization ~ [ʒyʁ]. Audio reference: listen to native French speakers pronouncing jour in phrases like jour ouvré and compare with English loanword usage.

Common mistakes include treating it as a plain English 'jour' with a hard j + or as a short ‘johr’, misplacing vowel length. Another error is dropping the final r in non-rhotic dialects or overpronouncing it like 'jer'. Correction: use a mid-to-back rounded vowel after the dʒ, approx [dʒuː] or French [ʒuʁ], with the tongue high and back for the French variant. Ensure the lips are rounded for the [u] or [y] depending on variant, and suppress an extra vowel after the r in non-rhotic speech.

In US English, you’ll often hear [dʒɔːɹ] with a rhotacized ending in rhotic dialects; some speakers might reduce to [dʒɔː] without fully pronouncing the r. UK English typically retains a less pronounced final r and may approximate [dʒɔː], or blend toward a French-esque [ʒuʁ] in careful speech. Australian tends toward [dʒɔː(ɹ)] with a light or silent r, and vowels may be slightly centralized. For a French-influenced touch, aim for the [ʒ] initial and a rounded back vowel in all dialects when you want to evoke the term’s origin.

The difficulty stems from the French-derived initial [ʒ] sound (the 'zh' sound), the rounded, high back vowel that may be unfamiliar to English speakers, and the final r that varies across dialects. In careful speech you should attempt a French-inspired [ʒuʁ], with the tongue high and back, lips rounded, and the r lightly pronounced or silent depending on accent. The challenge is bringing together foreign phonotactics with English stress and rhythm, without over-articulating or simplifying the vowel. IPA cues: [ʒ], [u], and [ʁ] or a reduced [ɹ].

Yes. In English usage, if you encounter jour within a phrase, you generally treat it as a single-syllable unit and stress is on the entire word’s vowel sequence; in careful French-influenced usage you’d maintain a single stressed syllable with a strong initial consonant and rounded vowel. In rapid speech, you may barely hear the final r, especially in non-rhotic regions. IPA: primary stress on the sole syllable: [dʒuːɹ] or [ʒuʁ], depending on phonetic approach.