2 syllables: Sched, ule. Stress on Sched.
SKEJ-uul
/ˈskɛdʒʊl/
Schedule is pronounced SKEJ-uul (/ˈskɛdʒʊl/). It has two syllables (Sched-ule), with the stress on "Sched". Schedule (noun) refers to a plan for times and events, listing tasks or commitments in a sequence. It can denote a timetable or a formal roster of items to be completed. People often debate its pronunciation and usage, but the essence remains a structured outline of when things should occur.
nounSchedule (noun) refers to a plan for times and events, listing tasks or commitments in a sequence. It can denote a timetable or a formal roster of items to be completed. People often debate its pronunciation and usage, but the essence remains a structured outline of when things should occur.
"I have a busy schedule this week and several meetings lined up."
"The conference schedule lists workshops from morning to evening."
"We agreed to reschedule our lunch for next Thursday."
Usual pronunciation is /ˈskɛd.juːl/ or /ˈsked.juːl/ with primary stress on the first syllable. Phonetically, start with /sk/ lips and tongue in a high-front position, then the /ɛ/ as in bed, followed by a /dʒ/ or /dj/ blend moving to /uː/ like 'you' and finish with /l/. In American usage, you may hear /ˈskɛdʒ.uːl/ in casual speech; many UK speakers favor /ˈʃed.juːl/ in some dialects. IPA: US: /ˈskɛd.juːl/, UK/AU: /ˈʃed.juːl/.
Common errors include substituting /sk/ with /ʃ/ (saying 'shed-ule' instead of 'sked-yool'), overpronouncing the /dʒ/ as a separate /d/ plus /ʒ/ sound, and misplacing the stress (moving it to the second syllable). Correct by practicing the /sk/ onset and a clean /dʒ/ or /j/ transition to /uːl/, ensuring the first syllable bears primary stress. If your accent leans toward /ʃ/, gradually maintain the /sk/ blend while producing /juːl/.
In US English, /ˈskɛd.juːl/ is common with an audible /dʒ/ or /j/ link to /uːl/. UK/Canadian influences may render the initial as /ʃe/ or /ʃed/ with a crisper /j/ before /uːl/. Australian speech aligns with UK patterns, often favoring the /ʃ/ onset in some regions or the /sk/ onset in others, and maintains /juːl/. In all, the second syllable vowels remain long /uː/; rhoticity does not drastically change the ending.
The difficulty stems from two phonetic hurdles: the onset cluster and the affricate transition. The /sk/ cluster at the start must be crisp, which many learners substitute with /ʃ/ or oversimplify to /s/; the second syllable may feature a /dʒ/ or /j/ sound before /uːl/, which is unfamiliar for some. Practicing the /sk/ blend and a smooth /dʒ/ or /j/ to /uːl/ transition helps; keep the jaw relaxed and use a quick, connected motion.
A distinctive feature is the potential variability between /ˈskɛd.juːl/ with an audible /dʒ/ link versus /ˈʃed.juːl/ in some dialects. The second syllable maintains /juː/ or its close variant /uː/, and the first syllable stress is consistently on the first syllable in most dialects. This word also invites attention to whether learners produce the /k/ sound crisply after the /s/ and how they attach the /j/ glide into /uːl/.
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US: tends to the /sk/ + /dʒ/ variant with pronounced 'sked' and /juːl/; non-rhotic or rhotic accents do not alter the /juːl/ final much but may affect the preceding vowel quality. UK: more likely to use /ʃed.juːl/ in some dialects; final /l/ clear and light. AU: similar to UK with slight vowel shifting toward a centralized /uː/; keep rhoticity low pressure, ensuring the /l/ is light. IPA references: US /ˈskɛd.juːl/, UK /ˈʃed.juːl/, AU /ˈʃed.juːl/.
Schedule comes from the Old French eschelepail or schedule via late Latin schēdule, from the Greek skhedoulos meaning ‘a leaf of a paper book’ or ‘strip of paper’ used to record divisions. The term entered English via Anglo-Norman and medieval Latin translations of Roman administrative records, evolving from meaning a list of things inscribed on a leaf or stub to a structured timetable. In Middle English, the word referred to a list or roll; by the 19th century, it adopted its modern sense of a plan for times and events. The pronunciation first focused on a soft “sh” initial in some borrowings, but English speakers settled on a hard initial sk- cluster, with stress commonly on the first syllable (US) or sometimes on the second in certain British variants historically, though today most pronunciations place primary stress on the first syllable. The orthography reflects its Latin and Greek roots, with the final -ule suffix indicating a small or tool-like item historically, though in modern English it marks standard pronunciation rather than size. The word’s semantic drift from a literal sheet of listings to an abstract calendar remains a hallmark of its usage in daily life, business, and governance.
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Words that rhyme with "Schedule"
-dge sounds
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