4 syllables: Pro, sec, u, tor. Stress on Pro.
PRAH-sik-yoo-tur
/ˈpɹɑsɪˌkjutɚ/
Prosecutor is pronounced PRAH-sik-yoo-tur (/ˈpɹɑsɪˌkjutɚ/). It has four syllables (Pro-sec-u-tor), with the stress on "Pro". Prosecutor is a public official who brings a case against someone in a court of law. It refers to the role that leads criminal prosecutions, presenting evidence and arguments to prove guilt. The term emphasizes the legal authority to prosecute and seek justice in criminal proceedings.
nounProsecutor is a public official who brings a case against someone in a court of law. It refers to the role that leads criminal prosecutions, presenting evidence and arguments to prove guilt. The term emphasizes the legal authority to prosecute and seek justice in criminal proceedings.
"The prosecutor argued that the defendant was responsible for the crime."
"A seasoned prosecutor questioned the witness during the cross-examination."
"After discovery, the prosecutor offered a plea deal to avoid a lengthy trial."
Prosecutor is pronounced /ˈprɒs.ɪ.kjuː.tər/ in UK English and /ˈprɑː.sɪ.kjuː.tɔːr/ in US English, with primary stress on the first syllable PROS. The sequence -cu-tor ends with a light syllabic -er in many pronunciations. Start with PROS as in pros and follow through with -e-cu-tor, ensuring the /kjuː/ cluster is smooth without breaking between /k/ and /j/. You’ll want a clear /ɪ/ before /kjuː/ in many dialects. For accuracy, feel the lips round slightly for /ju/ and keep the tongue high for /juː/.
Common mistakes include misplacing the stress (e.g., pros-e-CU-tor), mispronouncing the /kjuː/ cluster as /kj/ or separating it with a vowel (pro-se-kyu-tor), and weakening the final -tor into a weak schwa or -ter. Correct by keeping primary stress on PROS, pronounce /kjuː/ as a tight /k/ plus /juː/ without an extra vowel, and finish with a clear /tər/ rather than /dər/ in American speech. Practice slow syllable tapping to maintain the intended rhythm.
US pronunciation /ˈprɑː.sɪ.kjuː.tɔːr/ features a rhotic final /ɹ/ and a strong /ɒ/ in PROS. UK tends to /ˈprɒs.ɪ.kjuː.tə/ with non-rhoticity and a shorter final vowel; AU often aligns with UK patterns but with subtle vowel shifts and a clearer /tɔː/ in many regions. Across all, the /kjuː/ sequence remains a distinct consonant-glide cluster; the main variation is vowel quality and rhoticity, not the core syllable structure.
It combines a stressed first syllable with a consonant cluster /kjuː/ and a final /tər/ or /tə/. The tricky parts are the /ɒ/ or /ɑː/ vowel in PROS, the /juː/ glide after /k/, and the final rhotic or schwa depending on dialect. Mastery requires aligning the tongue from a rounded /juː/ to a light /tər/ or /tə/. The sequence must stay tight and connected to avoid artificial breaks.
Does the word ever soften the final consonants in rapid speech? In careful American speech, you keep /t/ crisp but can soften the final /r/ slightly in casual contexts. In British English, the final -tor often becomes a schwa-like /tə/ or /tə/ with non-rhoticity, while the /kjuː/ remains a tightly bound cluster. Practice both slow and rapid forms to hear the subtle changes in rhythm.
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Prosecutor comes from Middle French prosecutor, from Latin prosecutus, past participle of prosequi meaning to pursue or to prosecute. The root pro- meaning 'forward' and sequi meaning 'to follow' hint at the idea of following up or pursuing a case. The term entered English legal vocabulary in the 14th–15th centuries, but it gained modern usage in common law contexts as governments formalized criminal prosecutions. Over time, the word narrowed in common usage to designate the official who presents charges and represents the state in criminal proceedings. The shift from broader “to pursue” to a formal office holder reflects a standardization of roles in legal systems influenced by Roman law and later common-law traditions. In contemporary usage, prosecutor is almost exclusively an office or role name rather than a generic pursuer. First known uses appear in legal texts from medieval England and European jurisdictions, with expansion into American jurisprudence as the system matured during the 18th and 19th centuries. The term remains a precise label for the state or public interest in criminal cases, distinct from private counsel or other advocates.
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Words that rhyme with "Prosecutor"
-tor sounds
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