2 syllables: Ju, arez. Stress on Ju.
WAH-rez
/ˈwɑˌɹɛz/
Juarez is pronounced WAH-rez (/ˈwɑˌɹɛz/). It has two syllables (Ju-arez), with the stress on "Ju". As a noun, juárez is a proper noun referring to the Mexican city of Ciudad Juárez, or to Benito Juárez, a renowned 19th‑century Mexican president. The word is typically pronounced with an emphasis on the second syllable and a final voiced sibilant, reflecting Spanish spelling and phonology adapted into English usage. In English contexts you may hear it anglicized; in Spanish contexts the syllable structure remains closer to native pronunciation.
nounJuárez is a proper noun referring to the Mexican city of Ciudad Juárez, or to Benito Juárez, a renowned 19th‑century Mexican president. The word is typically pronounced with an emphasis on the second syllable and a final voiced sibilant, reflecting Spanish spelling and phonology adapted into English usage. In English contexts you may hear it anglicized; in Spanish contexts the syllable structure remains closer to native pronunciation.
- You may default to English spellings and skip the Spanish /x/; practice by starting with a light guttural /x/ (like clearing your throat) before the /w/ vowel onset. - Misdirecting the /ɾ/ tap; many speakers substitute a dental /d/ or /l/. Use a quick, single tap against the alveolar ridge; don’t trill. - Ending with a hard /z/ or mispronouncing the final /es/ as /iz/; keep it clean and crisp with /es/ or /eɾes/ depending on dialect.
"The city of Juárez plays a pivotal role in northern Mexico’s economy."
"She studied the policies of Benito Juárez for her thesis."
"We visited Juárez last summer and tried the local cuisine."
In careful, standard Spanish pronunciation, Juárez is /ˈxwaɾes/ in many phonetic renderings, with a voiceless fricative for the initial X representing /x/ (a light ‘h’ sound with throat constriction). In English contexts you’ll hear /ˈwɑːrəz/ or /ˈwɑːrɛz/ as a common anglicized version, but a more accurate bilingual form is /ˈhwaɾeɪz/ or /ˈhwaɾeɾes/ depending on the speaker. Stress is on the first syllable in Spanish equivalents, with the second syllable carrying the gist of the vowel. You should begin with a soft, aspirated h-like sound, then roll into a clear /ɾ/ tap and finish with /es/ or /eɾes/ depending on the approach.
Two frequent errors are substituting /h/ for the voiceless velar fricative /x/ (thinking it’s simply a hard ‘h’) and misplacing the trill/tap on the /ɾ/. Also, English speakers may treat the ending /(eɾes)/ as /iz/ or /əz/. Correct it by practicing the initial /x/ as a light gurgle from the throat, producing a tapped /ɾ/ in the middle syllable, and finishing with a clear /es/ or /eɾes/ depending on dialect. Use a slow progression from /x/ to /ɾ/ to /eɪz/ or /ez/ as you choose.
In US English, you’ll see a hybrid /ˈwɑːrəz/ or /ˈhwaɹɛz/ where the initial may soften toward a glottal or English /w/ onset, and the final /z/ often voiced. In UK English, the initial may be realized closer to /ˈhwaɹeɪz/ with a more open mid vowel and stable /z/. In Australian English, you may hear a broader vowel in the second syllable and a slightly rhotic influence, but generally the pattern remains /ˈhwaɾeɪz/ with a clear /ɾ/ and /z/ at the end.
Because it contains a Spanish /x/ that does not exist in many English dialects, a tapped /ɾ/ that can be mispronounced as a trill or a dip, and a final /es/ or /eɾes/ that can vary with dialect. The combination of a post-velar fricative with a dietary stress pattern on the second syllable requires careful articulation to avoid turning it into a simple /juarez/ or /hwarez/. Practice by isolating the /x/ and /ɾ/ sounds, then blend with final /es/.
Yes. The acute accent on the a in Juárez marks stress in Spanish; the word is stressed on the second syllable in Spanish: ~hwa-ˈres (approx). In English, you may hear a slightly different rhythm, but preserving the second-syllable emphasis and the /ɾ/ is important for authenticity. The diacritic signals the correct syllabic emphasis and should be preserved in formal writing and careful pronunciation.
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- US: emphasize rhoticity and flapped /ɾ/; vowels lean toward a clearer fronted /a/ in the middle. - UK: more fronted /ɪ/ or /eɪ/ in the second syllable; keep /x/ light; avoid over-aspirated vowels. - AU: similar to US but with a touch of centralized vowel quality; maintain the final /z/ or /s/ depending on word adoption; IPA references can help you align with these differences.
Juárez originates from the Spanish surname Juárez, itself derived from the Basque surname Eguarre, updated in colonial-era Spanish as Juárez. The name commemorates the family lineage but became indisputably associated with the city Ciudad Juárez, named after the river and local geography. The surname Juárez entered Spanish usage during the colonial period; in Mexico, the city adopted the name to honor Benito Juárez, the 19th‑century reformer and president. First known written forms appeared in 17th–18th century documents referencing the settlement and later in 19th‑century maps as the city expanded. In English-language texts, Juárez is often rendered with the acute accent on the a, signaling stress on the second syllable in Spanish pronunciation, while English discourse may shift the stress or vowel quality depending on speaker familiarity with Spanish. Over time, “Juárez” has become a high‑frequency toponym and surname across North America and the Hispanic world, with the diacritic preserved in many scholarly and formal uses but occasionally omitted in casual writing. The convergence of political history and geography cemented Juárez as a symbol of Mexican identity, influencing pronunciation expectations in bilingual contexts.
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Words that rhyme with "Juarez"
-ers sounds
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