3 syllables: mar, ti, nez. Stress on ti.
mahr-TEE-nez
/mɑˈɹtinɛz/
martinez is pronounced mahr-TEE-nez (/mɑˈɹtinɛz/). It has three syllables (mar-ti-nez), with the stress on "ti". Martinez is a proper noun most often used as a surname of Spanish origin. It typically denotes a person descended from or associated with someone named Martín, and in English usage it also appears as a place-name or family name without attempting to Anglicize its Spanish pronunciation. The term carries cultural connotations tied to Hispanic heritage and can appear in various professional, media, or everyday contexts.
Martinez is a proper noun most often used as a surname of Spanish origin. It typically denotes a person descended from or associated with someone named Martín, and in English usage it also appears as a place-name or family name without attempting to Anglicize its Spanish pronunciation. The term carries cultural connotations tied to Hispanic heritage and can appear in various professional, media, or everyday contexts.
"The Martinez family welcomed us to their home after the game."
"She admired a portrait of Martinez hanging in the gallery."
"Martinez scored the winning goal in the final minute."
Pronounce it as mar-tee-NEZ, with primary stress on the final syllable. IPA: US mɑˈtiːnez or mɑrˈtiːnez depending on r-coloring. Start with /m/ then /ɑ/ (as in ‘father’), lift to /r/ and a long /iː/ vowel in the second syllable, and finish with /nɛz/; ensure the final /z/ is voiced. Listen for a Spanish-influenced cadence rather than a flat English ending.
Common errors include stressing the first syllable (mar-); using a short /i/ instead of /iː/ in the second syllable, and softening the final /z/ to /s/ or to /ɪz/. Correction: keep the second syllable long: /tiː/ and land the final /z/ as a voiced alveolar fricative /z/. Also avoid swallowing the final /z/ or replacing it with a /t/ sound in casual speech.
In US English you’ll hear /mɑˈtiːnez/ with a rhotic /r/ and clear /iː/. UK English typically uses /mɑːˈtiːneɪz/ or /mɑːˈtiːnez/, with a longer /ɑː/ and sometimes a diphthongized final /eɪ/; the /z/ remains voiced. Australian tends to be /mɑːˈtiːnez/ or /mɑːˈtiːnz/ with a less pronounced rhotic and similar vowel quality. Across these, the key is maintaining second-syllable length and final voiced /z/.
Difficulty comes from preserving the Spanish-derived final -ez pronunciation with a clear /z/, and maintaining the stress pattern on the last syllable while keeping the second syllable long. English speakers often misplace stress (first syllable) or shorten the middle vowel, blurring the /tiː/ and ending /neɪz/ or /nez/. Also, the sequence m-ár-ti-nez demands precise articulation of /t/ and the voiced /z/ in quick speech.
In Martinez, the final -ez is typically pronounced as /ez/ or /eɪz/ depending on the speaker’s dialect and rate of speech. In Spanish-influenced readings, you’ll hear a crisp /ez/ ending; in some English imports, the /eɪ/ glide may appear—resulting in /neɪz/ in casual, anglicized speech. The safest approach is to maintain /ez/ with a voiced /z/ for accuracy across contexts.
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Martinez is a patronymic surname of Spanish origin, formed from the given name Martín (Martin) plus the suffix -ez, which signals ‘son of’ or ‘descendant of’ in many Iberian surnames. The root Martín comes from the Latin Martīnus, meaning ‘of Mars’ or ‘warlike,’ through Late Latin and Old Spanish adaptations. The -ez suffix is a connector that appeared in Castilian during the medieval period to denote lineage, mirroring similar forms in Portuguese (-ez) and Catalan (-is). The surname became widespread in Spain and spread to the Americas during the era of exploration and colonization, often adopted by communities across Latin America and the United States. First known uses appear in medieval Spanish records, with growing prominence in legal and church documents from the 13th to 15th centuries. In English-speaking contexts, Martinez is typically preserved in its original Spanish pronunciation or adapted into anglicized spellings when transliterated, reflecting immigration patterns and assimilation. In modern times, Martinez remains one of the most common Hispanic surnames in the United States, frequently encountered in media, academia, and sports. The name carries cultural significance tied to heritage, regional identity, and diaspora narratives, and it’s often treated as a stable, internationally recognized surname rather than translated into a new form.
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Words that rhyme with "martinez"
-tiz sounds
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