2 syllables: Matth, ew. Stress on Matth.
MATH-yoo
/ˈmæθju/
Matthew is pronounced MATH-yoo (/ˈmæθju/). It has two syllables (Matth-ew), with the stress on "Matth". Matthew is a male given name, commonly pronounced with two syllables. It starts with a stressed /ˈmæ-/ or /ˈmæt/ onset and ends with a light, unstressed /-θjuː/ or /-uː/ ending in many varieties. The name has biblical roots and is widely used in English-speaking countries, often used as a formal given name or in reference to the biblical evangelist. The pronunciation varies slightly by dialect, but the core is a two-syllable, H-stress pattern with a soft, palatal vowel at the end in many accents.
nounMatthew is a male given name, commonly pronounced with two syllables. It starts with a stressed /ˈmæ-/ or /ˈmæt/ onset and ends with a light, unstressed /-θjuː/ or /-uː/ ending in many varieties. The name has biblical roots and is widely used in English-speaking countries, often used as a formal given name or in reference to the biblical evangelist. The pronunciation varies slightly by dialect, but the core is a two-syllable, H-stress pattern with a soft, palatal vowel at the end in many accents.
How to Pronounce Matthew
"I’ll introduce you to Matthew, who joined us from Seattle."
"Matthew is delivering the keynote address tomorrow."
"Have you met Matthew’s sister, who also works in design?"
Pronounce it as /ˈmæθ.juː/ (US/UK) with two syllables. The first syllable has the stressed “ma” as /mæ/. The second syllable starts with the /θ/ sound, followed by a close vowel /uː/ or a glide /juː/, depending on the speaker. Keep the /θ/ dental fricative gently touching the upper teeth, and avoid turning it into /t/ or /d/. Practicing with the sequence ‘MAT-ju’ helps. For most speakers, the final vowel is a long, rounded /uː/.
Common errors include substituting /θ/ with /t/ or /f/, which makes it sound like ‘Matt-few’ or ‘Matt-fu’. Another frequent issue is turning the final /juː/ into a simple /uː/ or /juː/ without a light glide, making it sound clipped. Some speakers reduce the second syllable too much, producing /ˈmæθuː/ or /ˈmætjuː/ with misplaced stress. Focus on the dental fricative and a clean, two-syllable rhythm to avoid these.
In US English, you often hear /ˈmæθ jə/ with a reduced or schwa-like ending in rapid speech, while the full /ˈmæθ.juː/ is common in careful enunciation. UK English tends to maintain a clearer /juː/ in careful speech, with possible /-joo/ glide. Australian English is similar to UK, but some speakers may shorten the ending slightly and reduce the second syllable to /jə/ in informal talk. All versions share the /mæθ/ onset, but the second syllable quality varies.
The difficulty mostly centers on the /θ/ sound, which is a voiceless dental fricative unfamiliar to some learners, and the cluster transition into a semivowel /j/ before the long /uː/. The two-syllable rhythm and primary stress on the first syllable also demand careful timing in connected speech. For non-native speakers, mixing /θ/ with /t/ or /f/ and compressing the second syllable are the main hurdles.
A frequent, unique question is whether the ending is pronounced /-juː/ as in ‘you’ or simply /-ju/ with a short vowel. In careful speech, you should aim for /ˈmæθ.juː/ with a clear /juː/ glide; in faster speech, you might hear a reduced /ˈmæθˌju/ or /ˈmæθjə/. The key is producing the dental /θ/ clearly and maintaining two distinct syllables.
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Matthew derives from the Hebrew name Mattityahu (מטהיהו), meaning “gift of Yahweh.” The Greek transliteration Matthaios led to Latin Matthaeus, then Old French Matthieu. In English, the form Matthew emerged in the Middle Ages, strengthening as a standard English proper name during the Early Modern period. The biblical evangelist Matthew popularized the name in Christian contexts, contributing to its widespread adoption in English-speaking regions. Over centuries, the pronunciation settled into two syllables with primary stress on the first: /ˈmæθjuː/ or /ˈmæθjuː/ in many dialects, with regional variations in the final vowel and the approach to the ‘th’ and final vowel sound. The evolution reflects shifts from Middle English forms to contemporary rhymes, while the consonantal cluster /θ/ in the middle remained a linguistic focal point, often challenging for learners, leading to alternate spellings and pronunciations in some communities.
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Words that rhyme with "Matthew"
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