2 syllables: Pic, ture. Stress on Pic.
PIK-chur
/ˈpɪktʃɚ/
Picture is pronounced PIK-chur (/ˈpɪktʃɚ/). It has two syllables (Pic-ture), with the stress on "Pic". As a noun, a noun referring to a static visual representation, typically created by a camera or artists. It can also mean a mental image or scene formed in the mind. In everyday use, it denotes an image or photograph, or an image that helps illustrate a concept, scene, or story. 2-4 sentences (50-80 words).
nounA noun referring to a static visual representation, typically created by a camera or artists. It can also mean a mental image or scene formed in the mind. In everyday use, it denotes an image or photograph, or an image that helps illustrate a concept, scene, or story. 2-4 sentences (50-80 words).
"I hung a color picture on the wall."
"She showed me a picture from her trip to Kyoto."
"The best pictures tell a story without words."
Pronounce it as /ˈpɪk.tʃər/ (US) or /ˈpɪk.tʃə/ (UK/AU). Emphasize the first syllable: PIC. The second syllable is a reduced “er” or “ə.” Tip: start with a short i sound, glide into /tʃ/, then end with a quick rhotic schwa in US, or a clipped, non-rhotic vowel in UK/AU. Listen to a model in Pronounce or Cambridge audio and imitate the mouth shape: lips rounded slightly for the /tʃ/ and relaxed jaw for the final vowel.
Two frequent errors: (1) turning the /tʃ/ into two separate sounds like /t/ + /ʃ/, making PIC-sure; (2) mispronouncing the final vowel as a full /ɜːr/ or /ɪə/ in non-rhotic accents. Correction: keep /tʃ/ as a single affricate, then reduce the final vowel to a schwa /ə/ in UK/AU or /ɚ/ in US. Practice the sequence PIC + /tʃər/ lightly, not heavy; end with a short, muffled vowel.
US: /ˈpɪk.tʃɚ/ with rhotic /ɚ/ ending. UK/AU: /ˈpɪk.tʃə/ with a non-rhotic, clipped final vowel. The onset /pɪk/ is similar, but US often has a fuller rhotic ending and slightly longer second syllable than UK/AU. In fast speech, the schwa may reduce to a near-schwa /ə/. Vowel quality of /ɪ/ is slightly tenser in US; /ɪ/ in UK/AU tends toward a centralized /ɪ̈/ in rapid speech.
The challenge hinges on the /t͡ʃ/ cluster and the subtle final vowel reduction. Keeping /tʃ/ as a single affricate requires precise timing: /t/ and /ʃ/ fuse quickly. The final vowel is weak and lengthened differently by accent; US often lengths the rhotic ending, UK/AU reduce to a weak schwa. Additionally, the vowel quality of /ɪ/ in /ˈpɪk/ is shorter and tenser than in other context vowels. Mastery comes from controlled mouth posture and accurate timing of the /t͡ʃ/ release.
There are no silent letters in Picture, but the main stress is on the first syllable: PIC-ture. The second syllable is unstressed and reduced to a schwa or a similar vowel, depending on the accent. The /t͡ʃ/ is a strong, compact affricate; avoid vowel intrusion between /k/ and /t͡ʃ/. Focus on crisp /k/ release into /t͡ʃ/ and a quick, light secondary vowel in the final syllable.
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Picture comes from medieval Latin pictura, from pingere “to paint,” which itself traces to the Latin pictus “painted.” The Old French word dessui-?duree? The English verb picture originally meant “to paint” and later broadened to “a representation” by the 16th century. The noun senses expanded from paintings to any visual representation, including photographs and mental images. Over time, the word also carried metaphorical weight (to form a mental picture or imagine). The modern sense of “a photograph or image” emerged with the rise of visual culture and printing technology in the 18th–19th centuries, as lithography and photography popularized pictorial representations beyond painting. First known use in English dates to the 14th century in illuminated manuscripts and later in painting and print contexts.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "Picture" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "Picture"
-ure sounds
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