Khamenei

Pronounce as /ˌkæməˈneɪi/ in US/UK/AU English. Begin with 'kh' as a voiceless velar fricative (like ‘loch’), then a schwa or short 'a' as in 'about', followed by 'muh' and a stressed 'NEY' with a long A, then an 'ee' sound. Syllable breakdown: kha-me-ney-ee, with primary stress on the third syllable: kah-muh-NAY-ee. Listen for Persian-like spacing: khah-meh-NEH-ee if you approximate syllables more evenly.

Common errors include softening the initial 'kh' to a simple 'k' or replacing the Persian fricative with a plain 'k' or 'g'. Another mistake is elongating the final -ei into a monophthong like 'ee' without the glide. Also misplacing stress or stressing the first syllable. To correct: practice the velar fricative kh (like in 'Bach'), keep the middle syllables light, place primary stress on the 'NEY' syllable, and finish with a short, clear 'ee'.

In US/UK/AU, you’ll hear the same core sounds but with rhotic differences and vowel quality shifts. US speakers tend to have a stronger rhoticity and a slightly more pronounced 'a' in the first syllable, while UK and AU may reduce the initial vowel sounds slightly, with non-rhotic tendencies in careful speech. All variants maintain the /kh/ fricative and the /neɪi/ ending, but vowel length and quality subtly shift by region.

The difficulty lies in the initial Persian voiceless velar fricative kh (/x/), which isn’t common in English; many say a hard 'k' instead. The sequence /æm/ can be mis-timed, and the /neɪi/ ending with a two-syllable 'nei-ee' requires precise vowel quality and glide. Additionally, keeping stress on the 'NEY' syllable and avoiding a trailing flat 'ee' are common challenges.

An important, unique feature is treating the 'nei' cluster as a single stressed nucleus, with 'ney' pronounced like 'nay' but followed by a light final 'ee'. This creates a three-beat rhythm: kah-ma-NEI-ee, which is often simplified by non-native speakers into 'kah-mah-neh-ee' with reduced stress on the 'NEY'.