2 syllables: Thun, der. Stress on Thun.
THUHN-dur
/ˈθʌndɚ/
Thunder is pronounced THUHN-dur (/ˈθʌndɚ/). It has two syllables (Thun-der), with the stress on "Thun". Thunder is the deep, resonant sound caused by a lightning flash heating the air and creating a shock wave. It is a noun used to describe this phenomenon, or metaphorically to denote a loud, powerful announcement or event. In everyday speech, it is typically used in phrases like “Thunder roared in the distance.”.
nounThunder is the deep, resonant sound caused by a lightning flash heating the air and creating a shock wave. It is a noun used to describe this phenomenon, or metaphorically to denote a loud, powerful announcement or event. In everyday speech, it is typically used in phrases like “Thunder roared in the distance.”
- Mispronounce initial /θ/ as /t/ or /s/; correct by placing tongue gently behind the upper front teeth and blowing air through the teeth without voice. - Overemphasize the second syllable: keep it short and neutral as /ə/ or /ɚ/; relax jaw and lips. - Run the words together too quickly, crushing the boundary between /n/ and /d/; pause just a beat to let the consonants land clearly. - Some learners add extra vowel length in the first syllable (ˈθʌn.dəɹ) when the American /ɚ/ is short and quick; aim for a crisp /ˈθʌn.dɚ/ in US. - In rapid speech, the /θ/ can become a /f/; practice with a mirror and a tongue position cue: touching the upper teeth edge without biting.
How to Pronounce Thunder
"The thunder rumbled across the valley after the storm."
"We counted the seconds between the flash and the thunder."
"Her voice carried with the thunder in it, demanding attention."
Pronounce as THUN-der, with primary stress on the first syllable. IPA: US /ˈθʌn.dɚ/, UK /ˈðʌn.də/, AU /ˈðʌn.də/. Start with an unvoiced dental fricative θ, then bring in the voiced alveolar nasal n, followed by a mid-central vowel /ə/ in the second syllable. The final /ɚ/ (US) or /ə/ (UK/AU) is a weak, unstressed schwa-like vowel. Ensure the /n/ sits firmly and avoid tensing the tongue at the /d/ transition. A common cue is to say “thun” with a short, explosive puff and then softly release into “der.”
Common errors: (1) Dropping the initial /θ/ and substituting /t/ or /f/, which sounds unnatural; practice placing the tongue tip near the upper teeth and exhaling; (2) Over-voicing the second syllable, producing /ˈθʌn.dɜr/ instead of /ˈθʌn.dɚ/; try a quick schwa in the second syllable and relax the jaw. Practice minimal pairs like think/thing to feel the /θ/ vs /s/; (3) Not finishing with a clear /ɚ/ or /ə/, leaving the word as /ˈθʌndər/; keep gentle, relaxed lips and a reduced second syllable.
US: final /ɚ/ rhotics; UK: final /ə/ non-rhotic-ish in careful speech; AU: similar to UK, with potential vowel height variation /ʌ/ vs /ɐ/ and a slightly flatter /ə/. US tends to maintain a more pronounced rhotic vowel in careful speech; UK often reduces the ending more, and the /θ/ may sound closer to /f/ in some rapid speech variants. IPA references help: US /ˈθʌn.dɚ/, UK /ˈðʌn.də/, AU /ˈðʌn.də/. Mouth tension and airflow differ slightly: US uses more tongue curling for /ɚ/, UK/AU favor a lighter, quicker /ə/.
The difficulty centers on the initial voiceless dental fricative /θ/ and the unstressed, reduced second syllable. Many learners substitute /θ/ with /f/ or /t/, and compress the second syllable into /ər/ or omit it entirely. Additionally, the transition from /θ/ to /n/ requires precise tongue placement and air control; you shouldn’t release too abruptly or linger on /n/. Practice the sequence with slow, precise articulation: /θ/ + /ʌ/ + /n/ + /d/ + /ə/ or /ɚ/.
A key tip is to rehearse the tongue-tap transition from /n/ to /d/ smoothly: keep the tongue tip near the alveolar ridge while lifting into /d/. This makes the /n/ to /d/ boundary clean, avoiding a nasalized /dn/ cluster. Also practice the /θ/ onset with a light air stream; imagine blowing a soft sigh through the teeth as you begin. Recording yourself will reveal if the second syllable remains unstressed and reduced to /ə/ or /ɚ/.
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- US: /ˈθʌn.dɚ/ with rhotacized final; keep /ɚ/ compact; tendon of the tongue is mid-central. - UK: /ˈðʌn.də/ with a non-rhotic ending; the final vowel is a light /ə/; the initial /ð/ is voiced dental fricative; ensure you produce a soft but voiced onset. - AU: /ˈðʌn.də/ similar to UK; expect slightly looser jaw and broad /ɐ/ or /ə/ depending on speaker. All three share a stressed first syllable; pay attention to the transition from /θ/ or /ð/ to /n/. Reference IPA for precise articulation. - Common tip: practice with minimal pairs to maintain the correct mouth positions: think/thing, then thunder/ thundor as you hear shifts in rhotics and vowels.
Thunder derives from Old English thunor, thunor or thunor (also thunor in Proto-Germanic), related to Old High German dünar and Dutch donder. The root is linked to the Proto-Indo-European *táw‑/*tṇ‑, imitating the sound and power of a thunderclap. In early Germanic languages, the word designated both the weather phenomenon and the god associated with storms (as in Norse Thor). Over time, the sense shifted to the audible shock wave produced by lightning, and metaphorical uses expanded to signify powerful force or authority. By Middle English, thun(d)er appeared in varied spellings; the modern spelling Thunder stabilized in Early Modern English, aligning with other weather terms. The term’s first known written appearances date to medieval texts describing storms and divine wrath, reflecting its enduring association with awe-inspiring natural power. Throughout history, cultures with frequent thunderstorms have retained the word as a core descriptor for both physical sound and metaphorical loudness. Modern usage spans meteorology, literature, and everyday idiom, while retaining the image of a booming, explosive sound that travels with a distinct, low-frequency rumble.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "Thunder" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "Thunder"
-der sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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