2 syllables: Pro, duct. Stress on Pro.
PRAH-duhkt
/ˈpɹɑdəkt/
Product is pronounced PRAH-duhkt (/ˈpɹɑdəkt/). It has two syllables (Pro-duct), with the stress on "Pro". Product is a masculine noun denoting an artifact or outcome created to meet a need or function. It can also refer to a quantity resulting from multiplication. In everyday use, it names goods offered commercially or a result of a process, such as a software product or the product of an experiment.
nounProduct is a masculine noun denoting an artifact or outcome created to meet a need or function. It can also refer to a quantity resulting from multiplication. In everyday use, it names goods offered commercially or a result of a process, such as a software product or the product of an experiment.
"The company released a new medical product for hospitals."
"Her favorite product line includes skincare items popular worldwide."
"We must assess the product before we decide to invest."
You say PRO-duct, with a stressed first syllable. IPA US/UK/AU: /ˈprɒ.dʌkt/. Start with the voiceless bilabial stop /p/, then /r/ with a relaxed tongue, followed by the short /ɒ/ as in ‘hot.’ The second syllable uses /dʌkt/, where /d/ is a clear touch-closure, /ʌ/ is a short lax vowel, and /kt/ is a tightly released consonant cluster. Finish with a crisp /kt/ release. In connected speech, you may hear a tiny reduction to /ˈprɒd.əkt/ in rapid everyday talk, but aim for clear /dʌkt/ in careful speech.
Common errors: (1) Slurring the /d/ or reducing /dʌkt/ to /ˈprɒ.kət/ or /ˈprɒ.dʌk t/. (2) Misplacing the vowel in the first syllable, saying /ˈprɒɡ.dʌkt/ or /ˈprə.dʌkt/. (3) Dropping the final /t/ in rapid speech. Corrections: ensure a clear /d/ before /ʌ/ and a hard /t/ at the end, keep /ɒ/ in the first syllable, and avoid vowel reductions that loosen the second syllable. Practice isolated syllables /ˈprɒ/ and /dʌkt/ and then blend them with careful timing.
US/UK/AU share /ˈprɒ.dʌkt/ in many dialects, but rhoticity affects preceding sounds; the /r/ in US is postvocalic in other positions, not here. In non-rhotic UK, the /r/ is not pronounced unless followed by a vowel, but in ‘product’ the /r/ is typically pronounced as an r-colored vowel close to /ɹ/. Australian tends to be closer to non-rhotic UK with a slightly higher vowel in /ɒ/ and a clearer /ɔ/ variant for some speakers. Overall, the main difference is vowel quality and the presence of linking sounds in fast speech.
The difficulty lies in the /ɒ/ vs /ɒ]/ or /ɑ/ variation, the precise alveolar stop /d/ before /ʌ/ and the final /kt/ cluster, which requires a rapid release. For non-native speakers, the second syllable’s short /ʌ/ can be unstable when stressed, and the /kt/ can blend with preceding vowels. Practicing the /d/ touch-closure, fully voicing the /t/ at the end, and separating the syllables briefly helps maintain accuracy in connected speech.
‘Product’ is a compound-like noun with a strong first-syllable stress and a compact final consonant cluster. The contrast between /ɒ/ (open back) and /ʌ/ (near-close near-back) needs careful vowel placement, especially for speakers whose native languages have different vowel inventories. The word also tests precise timing between syllables in fast speech, as the /d/ and /kt/ must remain distinct to preserve the word’s intelligibility in business talk or tech contexts.
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Product comes from Latin productum, noun of productus meaning ‘a thing produced,’ from prōdūcĕre ‘to lead forth, produce.’ The Latin prōdūcere combines prō- ‘forth, forward’ with dūcere ‘to lead.’ In Medieval Latin it appeared as productum, then via Old French produit, and into English as product around the 15th century. The core sense shifted from a thing that is produced to the result of production, i.e., an output or yield. Over time, ‘product’ broadened to specific uses in commerce (a marketed good) and mathematics (the result of multiplication), reflecting its central idea as something that is brought forth or yielded from a process. Early uses in English literature often described tangible outputs of crafts or trades, gradually expanding into modern technical and economic vocabularies.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "Product" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "Product"
-uct sounds
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