TEKS-chur
/ˈtɛkstʃɚ/
texture is pronounced TEKS-chur (/ˈtɛkstʃɚ/). Texture refers to the way something feels to the touch or the visual pattern of surfaces; it also describes the character or tonal quality of something (such as music, language, or fabric). It conveys surface detail, grain, and complexity, from rough to smooth, and from visual pattern to auditory richness. In linguistics or music, texture denotes the layering of elements that creates overall feel or texture.
Texture refers to the way something feels to the touch or the visual pattern of surfaces; it also describes the character or tonal quality of something (such as music, language, or fabric). It conveys surface detail, grain, and complexity, from rough to smooth, and from visual pattern to auditory richness. In linguistics or music, texture denotes the layering of elements that creates overall feel or texture.
"The fabric has a rough texture that grips the skin."
"The painting’s texture reveals brushwork and layering."
"The texture of the language in his prose gives it a tactile quality."
Texture is pronounced /ˈtɛk.stɚ/ in US English and /ˈtɛk.tʃə/ in many UK and Australian varieties. The primary stress is on the first syllable. Start with a short, crisp 'tek' /tɛk/, then glide into a quick schwa-like ending /ɚ/ or /ə/. Pay attention to the 'x' that yields either /ks/ or /kʃ/ sound depending on the speaker. Practicing with slow enunciation helps solidify the two-consonant cluster before the ending vowel. You’ll hear a slight rhoticity in American English, but not in many British forms.”,
Common mistakes include turning the middle cluster into /ɡz/ or /dʒ/ (saying tek-juice-ter) or over-splitting the syllables. Another pitfall is mispronouncing the second syllable as /tʃə/ or /tʃɚ/ with a hard ‘ch’ sound; in most accents it’s a simple schwa glide /tə/ or /tʃə/ reduction. Also, dropping the final /ɚ/ or /ə/ leads to texture sounding like 'tex-ter' without the vocalic ending. Focus on a crisp /ks/ after the first syllable, then a light, soft vowel in the second syllable.”,
In US English, texture is /ˈtɛk.stɚ/ with a rhotic final vowel. In many UK and Australian accents, it’s /ˈtɛk.tʃə/, with the middle cluster softer and the second syllable a shorter, non-rhotic schwa or /ə/. Some speakers may reflect a /tʃ/ sound in the second syllable depending on dialect, while others keep a clean /tə/ or /ə/. Overall, US keeps a stronger final rhotic vowel, while UK/AU lean toward a reduced, unstressed vowel. ipa references: US /ˈtɛk.stɚ/, UK/AU /ˈtɛk.tʃə/ or /ˈtɛk.tə/.”,
Texture blends a consonant cluster and a vowel in a way that can trap the tongue: the /ks/ sequence after /t/ is a tricky cluster, and in many accents the second syllable reduces to a weak vowel that’s easy to swallow. The transition from /k/ to the vowel can cause issues with syllable timing and stress. The /t/ can be light, and the ending can be markedly rhotic or non-rhotic depending on accent. Focus on crisp /ks/ and a relaxed, quick second syllable.
What about the final 're' in texture? In American English, the ending often sounds like a reduced 'er' (/ɚ/), making texture rhyme loosely with 'ledger' or 'further' in fast speech. In UK/AU, the ending tends to be /ə/ or /ə/ without rhotacization, sounding closer to 'tex-tuh'. So, the final segment can be a point of variation: rhotic /ɚ/ in US vs non-rhotic /ə/ in other varieties.
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Texture comes from the Middle English texture, from Old French texture, from Latin textūra, from tex-, texīre ‘to weave’ (from tex-, tangere ‘to weave, weave, fabric’). The root idea is the weaving of fibers into fabric; metaphorically, texture spread to denote the weave or composition of any surface or surface-like quality. The word entered English usage in the 14th century with literal fabric sense, later expanding to non-physical domains like art, music, and language to describe the layered, interwoven quality of surfaces, tones, or meanings. By the 17th–18th centuries, texture encapsulated both tactile surface and auditory or visual complexity. Modern usage spans textiles, visual arts, cuisine, geology, linguistics, and digital media, where texture remains a central metaphor for complexity and richness. The semantic broadening tracks cultural emphasis on material detail and sensory depth, with “texture” often implying a desirable richness that combines uniformity with nuanced variation.
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Words that rhyme with "texture"
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