3 syllables: Tel, lu, ride. Stress on Tel.
TEL-yur-eyed
/ˈtɛljɚˌaɪd/
Telluride is pronounced TEL-yur-eyed (/ˈtɛljɚˌaɪd/). It has three syllables (Tel-lu-ride), with the stress on "Tel". Telluride is a proper noun primarily referring to a town in Colorado, or a mineral telluride compound. In common usage, it designates the place name or a geological context; it can also describe the mineral-containing ore related to tellurium. The term combines geographic and mineralogical senses and is pronounced as a distinct, stress-timed word rather than a generic noun.
nounTelluride is a proper noun primarily referring to a town in Colorado, or a mineral telluride compound. In common usage, it designates the place name or a geological context; it can also describe the mineral-containing ore related to tellurium. The term combines geographic and mineralogical senses and is pronounced as a distinct, stress-timed word rather than a generic noun.
How to Pronounce Telluride
"We vacationed in Telluride last winter and enjoyed the snowy slopes."
"The telluride mineral complex dominates some ore deposits in the region."
"Her research examines telluride compounds used in photovoltaic cells."
Pronounce as TEL-uh-ride with three syllables. Primary stress on the first syllable: /ˈtɛl.əˌraɪd/. The middle vowel in the second syllable is a light schwa or near-schwa. Tip: keep the /r/ light and avoid an extra vowel after /ɜː/ or /ɪ/. You’ll hear a crisp /raɪd/ at the end; don’t turn it into /rid/ or /raɪdʒ/. Audio references: Cambridge requires you to check for regional variants; for a quick reference, search “Telluride pronunciation” and listen to native speakers on Forvo or YouGlish.
Two common errors: (1) Over-splitting the middle syllable with a strong vowel, producing TEL-uh-RAID with two strong vowels; (2) Mispronouncing the final /raɪd/ as /rid/ or /raɪdʒ/. Correction: reduce the middle vowel to a brief schwa, so TEL-ə-ride with the /ə/ as a light, unstressed sound; keep /raɪd/ as a crisp, long diphthong ending. Practice saying ‘tell-uh-ride’ in sequence with the mouth relaxed and the tongue low for /t/ and /l/ transitions.
In US English you’ll typically hear /ˈtɛl.əˌraɪd/, with a rhotic r and a mid front vowel in the first syllable. UK English can be closer to /ˈtel.əˌraɪd/ with slightly crisper /t/ and a shorter /e/ quality; Australians often maintain the /tɛl/ onset but can reduce the middle vowel and give a softer r, yielding /ˈtel.əˌraɪd/. The main differences lie in vowel quality, rhoticity, and the strength of the middle vowel; the final /raɪd/ remains the same across varieties. Listening to local speakers will help you capture the minor shifts in vowel height and consonant aspiration.
The difficulty stems from the three-syllable structure and the cluster /l/ followed by a syllabic nucleus in the middle, combined with a final voiced-diphthong /aɪd/. The middle vowel is often reduced, which can blur stress and length. Additionally, the sudden onset of /raɪd/ requires precise lip rounding and tongue position for the /r/ and the /aɪ/ glide. Practice by isolating the /l/ and /ə/ transition, then link to /raɪd/ with a smooth move from the schwa to the diphthong.
No—pronunciation remains the same regardless of sense, with the standard three-syllable pattern TEL-ə-ride. In technical contexts, you may adjust emphasis slightly when discussing mineralogical properties versus talking about the town or festival, but the phonetic realization of /ˈtɛl.əˌraɪd/ stays consistent. If you’re teaching a class, briefly note both senses before saying the word, then proceed with the same pronunciation.
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Telluride derives from Tellurium, an element name from the Latin tellurium, meaning ‘earth’ or ‘Earth’, reflecting its discovery in the Earth’s crust. The town of Telluride, Colorado, adopted the name around the late 19th century during mining booms; the name likely traces to the mineral-rich region and the telluride ore deposits sought by prospectors. The root Tellur- is from Latin tellus, ‘earth’, combined with -ide, a suffix used in mineralogy to denote compounds or minerals. Early usage in geology and mining literature (late 1800s) applied the term to telluride minerals and metallic ores. The place-name sense became established as a proper noun, while the mineralogical term persists in scientific contexts. Today, Telluride is widely recognized as a resort town (famous for alpine scenery) and a term within mineralogy and materials science, retaining both geographic and scientific senses. The pronunciation stabilized as /ˈtɛl.əˌraɪd/ in American English, with local variation in stress and vowel quality across dialects. The evolution shows a direct link between the element tellurium’s name and its mineral compounds, then extended to the town named for those natural resources. First known use as a place name aligns with the late 19th century gold and silver mining era in Colorado, while the mineralogical term entered later as the family of telluride minerals was cataloged.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "Telluride" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "Telluride"
-ide sounds
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