How to pronounce "clergy" in English
ˈklɜːrdʒi
KLUR·jee
Primary stress: KLUR
Hear native speakers say clergy in context across real video clips
general transformation in the educational levels of the parish clergy. By the 1630s, after two generations of this, a largely graduate clergy was established in much of England. By the 1630s, after two generations of this,
Linguistic Pronunciation Masterclass: “clergy”
Phonetic mechanics, syllable architecture, and conversational cadence
Syllable Architecture & Stress Distribution
KLUR
Tense long vowel with sustained acoustic resonance.
jee
Reduced vowel sound, relaxed jaw, and minimal vocal effort.
Primary emphasis falls on the first syllable ("KLUR"). Raise your pitch and sustain the vowel length on this syllable while relaxing the surrounding syllables.
Common Pronunciation Traps & Learner Mistakes
The Trap: Avoid pronouncing every vowel with full acoustic weight. Non-native speakers often over-enunciate unstressed vowels.
How Native Speakers Say It: Only give full vowel clarity to the primary stressed syllable. Relax all unstressed vowels into a neutral, low-energy schwa (⁄ə⁄).
Connected Speech & Natural Conversational Flow
When "clergy" is followed by a word starting with a vowel, glide the final consonant into the opening vowel (e.g. "clergy is" sounds like "clergy-iz").
In natural sentences, avoid over-stressing "clergy" unless it conveys the core contrast or focal point of your message.
Authentic Spoken Quotes from Native Video Context
“clergy. By the 1630s, after two generations of this, a largely graduate clergy was established in much of England.”— YaleCoursesWatch clip
“clergy not not the I'm talking about you know that a cleric can be a source of emulation that doesn't you know so you see what does this guy do does he brush”— Harvard UniversityWatch clip
“clergy novelists poets and and others turn to Childhood and children as a way of establishing a unifying set of values end quote that is children basically”— StanfordWatch clip
“clergy one of the most extensive series of protections outlined by international law are the ones regarding the safety of”— Simple HistoryWatch clip
“Clergy members who don’t share this view often lose their positions in the Church or experience persecution themselves.”— Native SpeakerWatch clip
“clergy meanwhile his personal Fight Continues he has taken his dismissal case to the European Court of Human”— Native SpeakerWatch clip
Practice Speaking “clergy”
Listen to native pronunciation, record yourself repeating the sentence into your microphone, and receive real-time word-by-word accuracy scoring.
clergy. By the 1630s, after two generations of this, a largely graduate clergy was established in much of England.
Hear it in context: “clergy”
583 clipsThe English word “clergy” is transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) as ˈklɜːrdʒi (phonetic respelling: KLUR-jee). Phonologically, it consists of 2 syllables (KLUR · jee), with primary lexical stress placed on the 1st (initial) syllable (KLUR). Grammatically, “clergy” functions as a noun. SayItVid indexes 583 authentic English video clips demonstrating how native speakers articulate “clergy” in natural connected speech across American (US: 8 sampled), British (UK), and Australian (AUS) accents, including verified broadcasts from YaleCourses, Harvard University, Stanford.
Spoken Video Transcripts & Contextual Quotes (5 Verified Clips)
- 🇺🇸 USYaleCoursesClip #1 · @22:00
“general transformation in the educational levels of the parish clergy. By the 1630s, after two generations of this, a largely graduate clergy was established in much of England. By the 1630s, after two generations of this,”
- 🇺🇸 USHarvard UniversityClip #2 · @77:38
“among the Shia clergy something called uh uh you know you know a particular clergy not not the I'm talking about you know that a cleric can be a source of emulation that doesn't you know so you see what does this guy do does he brush emulation that doesn't you know so you see what does this guy do does he brush”
- 🇺🇸 USStanfordClip #3 · @5:57
“National dreams and fears and further that artists as well as politicians the clergy novelists poets and and others turn to Childhood and children as a way of establishing a unifying set of values end quote that is children basically of establishing a unifying set of values end quote that is children basically”
- 🇺🇸 USSimple HistoryClip #4 · @13:31
“medical personnel and clergy one of the most extensive series of protections outlined by international law are the ones regarding the safety of of protections outlined by international”
- 🇺🇸 USClip #5 · @4:12
“all the sins that a person has committed. Clergy members who don’t share this view often lose their positions in the Church or experience persecution themselves. often lose their positions in the Church”
Definition & Meaning: “clergy”
- A body of persons, such as priests, who are trained and ordained for religious service.
Example Sentences (3)
- “Today we brought together clergy from the Anglican, Catholic, Orthodox, and Reformed traditions for ecumenical dialogue.”
- “clergy. By the 1630s, after two generations of this, a largely graduate clergy was established in much of England.”
- “clergy not not the I'm talking about you know that a cleric can be a source of emulation that doesn't you know so you see what does this guy do does he brush”
Common Phrases & Collocations
Pronounce: “clergy”
- Pronunciation:
- KLUR-jee
- Syllables:
- KLUR · jee
- Written Hyphenation:
- cler · gy
- Primary stress:
- KLUR
- IPA:
- ˈklɜːrdʒi
- Hear it in context
- clergy
Words that Rhyme with “clergy”
-ɜrdʒiWords that Sound Identical (Homophones)
Unique Sound"clergy" (⁄ˈklɜːrdʒi⁄) has no true homophones in standard English — there are no other words with identical pronunciation. Unlike sound-alike pairs like there / their or peace / piece, "clergy" has a completely distinct phonetic identity.
Frequently asked questions about clergy
How do you pronounce “clergy”?
“clergy” is pronounced ⁄ˈklɜːrdʒi⁄ (KLUR-jee). Listen to the native-speaker clips above to hear it in real conversation.
How many syllables are in “clergy”?
“clergy” has 2 syllables: KLUR · jee.
Where is the stress in “clergy”?
The primary stress in “clergy” is on “KLUR”. Listen for that stressed syllable in the clips above.
What does “clergy” mean?
A body of persons, such as priests, who are trained and ordained for religious service.
How can I hear “clergy” used in real sentences?
This page has 583 real-world video examples of “clergy” with synchronized subtitles. Use Previous / Next (or ← / → keys) to hear each one at the exact moment it is spoken.
What is the most common pronunciation mistake when saying “clergy”?
Avoid pronouncing every vowel with full acoustic weight. Non-native speakers often over-enunciate unstressed vowels. Only give full vowel clarity to the primary stressed syllable. Relax all unstressed vowels into a neutral, low-energy schwa (⁄ə⁄).