3 syllables: mur, der, ers. Stress on mur.
MUR-durz
/ˈmɝdɚz/
murderers is pronounced MUR-durz (/ˈmɝdɚz/). It has three syllables (mur-der-ers), with the stress on "mur". Murderers refers to people who have committed murder; in everyday usage it denotes multiple individuals who have taken another person’s life. The term emphasizes the act of homicide and the people involved, rather than a single offender. It appears in legal, descriptive, and news contexts, often contrasting with other criminal categories.
Murderers refers to people who have committed murder; in everyday usage it denotes multiple individuals who have taken another person’s life. The term emphasizes the act of homicide and the people involved, rather than a single offender. It appears in legal, descriptive, and news contexts, often contrasting with other criminal categories.
"The detectives pursued the murderers for weeks, gathering evidence at the scene."
"Several witnesses identified the gunmen, but the murderers fled before police arrived."
"The trial focused on the actions of the murderers and the motives behind the crime."
- IPA: US /ˈmɜːrdərərz/, UK /ˈmɜː.də.rəz/, AU /ˈmɜː.də.ɹəz/. Primary stress on the first syllable: MUR-der-ers. Break it as two rhyming syllables: /ˈmɜːr/ + /dər/ + /ɚz/ (American) and a reduced second vowel in non-stressed positions. Position lips neutral to rounded for /ɜː/; tongue mid-back; keep /r/ sounds crisp where present. Audio reference: you can compare with recordings at Cambridge or Forvo.”,
Common errors include merging /ˈmɜːr/ with a weak initial vowel, producing /məˈrɜː.dərz/ or /ˈmʌrdərz/; misplacing the second syllable stress; and failing to articulate the /r/ in American varieties, leading to a softer /ɹ/ or a rhotacized vowel. Correct by clearly isolating /mɜːr/ with rounded lips, then voicing /dər/ with a distinct /d/ and short /ər/ in non-stressed positions. Practice with minimal pairs to reinforce the /ɜːr/ vs /ə/ distinction.”,
In US English, expect /ˈmɜːr.dər.ərz/ with rhotic /ɹ/ and a stronger final -erz. UK English often shows /ˈmɜː.də.rəz/ with less rhoticity in some dialects and a slightly reduced final syllable. Australian English tends toward /ˈmɜː.də.ɹəz/ with a non-rolled /r/ and vowel heights that place /ɜː/ similarly to UK. Focus on where the /r/ is pronounced (US rhotics) and on vowel quality in the second syllable.”,
The difficulty lies in the sequence of consonants and the Schwa/ə in the unstressed syllables, plus the /ɜː/ vowel in stressed onset. The cluster /rd/ can trap the tongue, and the trailing /ər/ can reduce quickly in casual speech, causing assimilation to /ər/ or /r/. Mastery requires clear articulation of /ˈmɜːr/ and careful release into /dər/ followed by /ərz/ or /əz/. IPA cues help cement the exact tongue positions.
Note the final /-ərz/ realization; the plural suffix in American and British contexts often reduces to a rhotic schwa followed by a sibilant. Distinguish /ə/ versus /ɪ/ in the mid syllable, and ensure the initial /m/ stays bilabial while the /d/ lands as a clear alveolar stop. Paying attention to the /ˈmɜːr/ onset and keeping the second syllable’s vowel stable across accents yields a natural, precise pronunciation.
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The term murderers derives from Middle English murderen, meaning to kill, with the agent noun suffix -er forming from Old English -ere. The root is tied to the Old Norse morð, Latin mordere, and related Germanic words indicating killing. By the Late Middle Ages, murderers named individuals who performed murder, not merely the act itself. In Early Modern English, the word carried strong criminal connotation and legal weight, reflecting evolving systems of punishment for homicide. Through centuries, usage broadened to describe any person who commits murder, whether in law, journalism, or colloquial speech. Modern usage retains the plural form murderers for multiple offenders and remains closely tied to criminal acts, motives, and accountability. First attested forms appear in English texts around the 13th–14th centuries, with evolving spellings such as murdere and murdere r prior to standardization. The term’s semantics have been stable: an individual or individuals who commit murder, often carrying moral and legal implications.
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Words that rhyme with "murderers"
-ors sounds
-ers sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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