/ˌɹiˈkwaɪɚ/
Say it backRequire means to need something as essential or very important, or to demand something as a condition or obligation. It often implies a formal necessity or constraint beyond casual want, and can function as both a verb and a noun in certain contexts. In usage, you typically consider what is necessary or mandatory in a given situation.
"This job requires a minimum of five years of experience."
"The project will require additional funding to proceed."
"The agreement requires you to complete the training module within two weeks."
Pronounced rɪˈkwaɪər (US) or rɪˈkwaɪə (UK/AU). The emphasis is on the second syllable: re-QUIRE. The first syllable is a short, lax rɪ, followed by the diphthong kwaɪ (like quad + I rhyme), and ends with ər in US or ə in UK/AU. Tip: blend /ˈkwaɪ/ tightly, avoid an overlong /r/ at the end. You’ll hear it as ri-KWYER in fast speech.
Common errors: misplacing the stress (re-quire vs requ-ire), pronouncing the second syllable with a pure /iː/ or /i/ instead of the diphthong /aɪə/ in some accents (US /aɪər/), and adding an extra /r/ or dropping the /r/ in non-rhotic varieties. Correction: keep the stress on the second syllable and produce /kwaɪ/ as a single glide, ending with a reduced /ər/ or /ə/ depending on dialect. Practice by isolating /rɪˈkwaɪər/ and then blending quickly into fluent speech.
US: rɪˈkwaɪər with rhotic /r/ and final /ər/. UK: rɪˈkwaɪə with non-rhotic tendencies; final schwa-like /ə/. AU: similarly non-rhotic for many speakers, with a more centralized or rounded vowel in some regions, producing rɪˈkwaɪə. Diphthong quality /aɪə/ can be slightly longer in US; UK/AU may reduce to /aɪə/ or slightly narrower /aɪə/. Across accents, the main difference is rhotic presence and the precise vowel quality in the final syllable.
Because it blends a stressed second syllable with a tightly formed /kwaɪ/ diphthong and a final unstressed /ər/ or /ə/. Many speakers misplace stress, overemphasize the first syllable, or flatten the diphthong. The cluster /kw/ after a short /ɪ/ also challenges non-native tongue coordination: keep the /k/ and /w/ close together with a quick glide into /aɪ/. Awareness of rhotics (US) vs non-rhotic accents (UK/AU) also affects accuracy.
The key unique point is the /ˈkwaɪ/ nucleus that follows a short /ɪ/ in the first syllable and the presence of a post-stress weak syllable ending in /ər/ or /ə/. Unlike many two-syllable verbs, the second syllable carries the primary stress, shaping the overall rhythm: unstressed first syllable, strong second syllable, then a reduced ending. Mastery involves precise articulation of /kwaɪ/ and the subsequent reduced vowel depending on dialect.
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Require comes from the Old French requeir, from Classical Latin requirere, meaning to seek, inquire, or demand. The Latin prefix re- can imply back or again, while -quire derives from quaerere, meaning to seek or ask. The term evolved in English during the Middle Ages with senses tied to demanding a thing as necessary or obligatory. By early modern English, require frequently appeared in legal and formal contexts to denote stipulation or necessity, a sense that persists in contemporary usage. The transition from “to need” to “to demand as a condition” reflects broader legal and bureaucratic language adoption, where requirements and prerequisites govern actions and permissions. The noun form “requirement” further crystallized in the 15th–16th centuries, later becoming common in public policy, education, and contract law. First known use in English traces to medieval legal texts where “requirere” indicated an exacting request or constraint. Over centuries, the pronunciation settled into /rɪˈkwaɪər/ in General American and /rɪˈkwaɪə/ in many British varieties, with further vowel quality shifts in Australian speech. In modern usage, require frequently appears in both formal writing and everyday instruction, maintaining its core sense of something that must be done, possessed, or satisfied.
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Words that rhyme with "require"
-ire sounds
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