2 syllables: O, dor. Stress on O.
OH-dur
/ˈoʊdɚ/
Odor is pronounced OH-dur (/ˈoʊdɚ/). It has two syllables (O-dor), with the stress on "O". Odor refers to a detectable smell, especially one that is pleasant or noticeable. As a noun, it denotes the scent itself or an impression of smell; as a concept it can imply a distinctive or lingering aroma. In everyday use, odor often carries subjective evaluation and may vary with context, intensity, and individual perception.
nounOdor refers to a detectable smell, especially one that is pleasant or noticeable. As a noun, it denotes the scent itself or an impression of smell; as a concept it can imply a distinctive or lingering aroma. In everyday use, odor often carries subjective evaluation and may vary with context, intensity, and individual perception.
- You may drop the final /ɚ/ or reduce it to a quick schwa. To fix: consciously articulate /ɚ/ with slight retroflex tongue position and let it color the vowel. - The first syllable could become a flat /o/ rather than the diphthong /oʊ/. To fix: practice the glide from /o/ to /ʊɹ/ or /ɚ/ depending on accent; keep the jaw slightly more open for /oʊ/. - Some learners flatten the stress to a softer cadence, making Odor sound like a weak sigh; practice stressing the first syllable with a strong onset and a longer duration on /oʊ/.
"The odor of fresh-baked bread wafted through the kitchen."
"There was a strong odor coming from the trash can at the back of the garden."
"She couldn’t ignore the chemical odor that lingered after the rain."
Pronounce as ˈoʊ.dɚ in US English, with the first syllable stressed. In IPA: US ˈoʊ.dɚ. The first vowel is a diphthong /oʊ/, starting mid-back to close to high, gliding toward a close-mid position; the second syllable is a schwa /ɚ/ (rhythmic rhotic r-colored vowel). In non-rhotic dialects you may hear /ˈəʊ.dɔː/ or /ˈəʊ.dɔː/ depending on accent; emphasize the first syllable and maintain a clear conveyance of the /ɚ/ at the end.
Common mispronunciations include reducing the first syllable to a simple /ɒ/ or /ɑ/ sound, and softening the second syllable by omitting the rhotacized /ɚ/ or turning it into /ə/ or /ɔː/. To correct: keep the /oʊ/ diphthong intact with a clear glide to /ɚ/ in rhotic accents or /ɔː/ in some UK/AU varieties; ensure stress remains on the first syllable and avoid flapping or vowel shortening in careful speech.
US English: primary stress on first syllable; final /ɚ/ rhotic, sounding like 'o-der' with a clear rhotacized ending. UK English: often non-rhotic; final vowel may be a schwa or /ɔː/, leading to something like /ˈəʊ.dɔː/ with less pronounced r-coloring. Australian English: variable rhoticity; may lean toward /ˈəʊ.dɔː/ with a broader vowel in the final syllable. Across all, the key differences are rhoticity and vowel quality, but the core /ˈoʊ/ vs /ˈəʊ/ onset distinction is central.
The difficulty stems from the American /ɚ/ ending, which often sounds like a quick, vowel-reduced 'er' that many learners omit or misproduce. The paired onset /ˈoʊ/ requires a precise diphthong glide; some speakers substitute /oʊ/ with /o/ or /aʊ/. Additionally, non-rhotic learners may underpronounce the final rhotacized vowel, and the contrast with similar words like 'odor' vs 'odour' in UK spelling can influence pronunciation.
Odor centers on a smell; in pronunciation, the distinction isn’t semantic but phonetic: keep the first syllable prominent with a stable /oʊ/ or /əʊ/ depending on dialect, and close with a distinct rhotacized /ɚ/ (US) or a longer /ɔː/ (UK/AU). The trick is avoiding a silent or lax final vowel; you want a clear, audible final vowel sound that signals the word’s presence in speech.
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- US: emphasize rhotacized final /ɚ/; keep the /oʊ/ diphthong clear, then end with a crisp /ɚ/. - UK: soft rhoticity, final vowel closer to /ɔː/ or /əʊ.dɔː/; ensure non-rhotic ending and a longer second syllable. - AU: tends toward /əʊ.dɔː/ with a variable final rhotic; maintain the diphthong onset while making the final vowel appreciably longer. - IPA references: US /ˈoʊ.dɚ/, UK /ˈəʊ.dɔː/, AU /ˈəʊ.dɔː/.
Odor comes from the Latin odor, meaning ‘smell, scent, odor, sweet fragrance.’ The Latin root odor is connected to obor- (to smell) and to the Proto-Italic *odorus, with senses emphasizing smell and fragrance. In English, odor began to appear in the 14th century, often used to denote any detectable scent, neutral or negative. By the 18th and 19th centuries, odor could imply either a characteristic aroma (positive) or a disagreeable smell (negative), depending on context. The spelling Odor reflects the pattern of English vowel shifts; the pronunciation shifts between rhotic US and non-rhotic UK accents. The word has remained versatile in both scientific and everyday language, frequently in phrases like ‘characteristic odor’ or ‘odorless.’ First known use in print appears in medical and alchemical texts, where odor descriptions were essential to identify substances and reactions. Over time, odor has also acquired metaphorical senses in literature, indicating intangibles like ‘an odor of scandal’ as a figurative hint. Modern usage spans consumer products, chemistry, and forensic contexts, with ‘odor’ often favoring neutral or technical connotations in professional settings and more subjective tones in casual speech.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "Odor" and can often be used interchangeably.
🔄 These words have opposite meanings to "Odor" and show contrast in usage.
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Words that rhyme with "Odor"
-der sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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