How to pronounce "ermines" in English
ˈɝmɪnz
UR·minz
Primary stress: UR
Hear native speakers say ermines in context across real video clips
so from a wolf uh to a weasel. Rachel, tell us about what you saw with a weasel. Yeah. Going to not take that personally, but I just wanted to put out a shout-out to the mascots of these Olympics, Milo and Tina. They're stoats. Stoats are technically weasels. They're called ermines Milo and Tina. They're stoats. Stoats are technically weasels. They're called ermines
Linguistic Pronunciation Masterclass: “ermines”
Phonetic mechanics, syllable architecture, and conversational cadence
Syllable Architecture & Stress Distribution
UR
Elevated pitch, sustained vowel length, and full acoustic clarity.
minz
Reduced vowel sound, relaxed jaw, and minimal vocal effort.
Primary emphasis falls on the first syllable ("UR"). 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 "ermines" is followed by a word starting with a vowel, glide the final consonant into the opening vowel (e.g. "ermines is" sounds like "ermines-iz").
In natural sentences, avoid over-stressing "ermines" unless it conveys the core contrast or focal point of your message.
Authentic Spoken Quotes from Native Video Context
“not take that personally, but I just wanted to put out a shout-out to the mascots of these Olympics, Milo and Tina. They're stoats. Stoats are technically weasels. They're called ermines”— NPRWatch clip
“So several species of animals, many species of animals, in fact, like rabbits and fox, and various mustelids, like ferrets and ermines,”— Andrew HubermanWatch clip
Practice Speaking “ermines”
Listen to native pronunciation, record yourself repeating the sentence into your microphone, and receive real-time word-by-word accuracy scoring.
not take that personally, but I just wanted to put out a shout-out to the mascots of these Olympics, Milo and Tina. They're stoats. Stoats are technically weasels. They're called ermines
Hear it in context: “ermines”
2 clipsThe English word “ermines” is transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) as ˈɝmɪnz (phonetic respelling: UR-minz). Phonologically, it consists of 2 syllables (UR · minz), with primary lexical stress placed on the 1st (initial) syllable (UR). Grammatically, “ermines” functions as a adjective. SayItVid indexes 2 authentic English video clips demonstrating how native speakers articulate “ermines” in natural connected speech across American (US: 2 sampled), British (UK), and Australian (AUS) accents, including verified broadcasts from NPR, Andrew Huberman.
Spoken Video Transcripts & Contextual Quotes (2 Verified Clips)
- 🇺🇸 USNPRClip #1 · @11:57
“so from a wolf uh to a weasel. Rachel, tell us about what you saw with a weasel. Yeah. Going to not take that personally, but I just wanted to put out a shout-out to the mascots of these Olympics, Milo and Tina. They're stoats. Stoats are technically weasels. They're called ermines Milo and Tina. They're stoats. Stoats are technically weasels. They're called ermines”
- 🇺🇸 USAndrew HubermanClip #2 · @58:01
“of what you should do with your light-viewing behavior. So several species of animals, many species of animals, in fact, like rabbits and fox, and various mustelids, like ferrets and ermines, many species of animals, in fact, like rabbits and fox,”
Definition & Meaning: “ermines”
- In blazon, coloured with a heraldic fur of a black field with white spots; counter-ermine.
Example Sentences (3)
- “He beareth Or, a Cheuron Checkey Ermin & Ermines.”
- “not take that personally, but I just wanted to put out a shout-out to the mascots of these Olympics, Milo and Tina. They're stoats. Stoats are technically wease”
- “So several species of animals, many species of animals, in fact, like rabbits and fox, and various mustelids, like ferrets and ermines,”
Common Phrases & Collocations
Pronounce: “ermines”
- Pronunciation:
- UR-minz
- Syllables:
- UR · minz
- Written Hyphenation:
- er · mi · nes
- Primary stress:
- UR
- IPA:
- ˈɝmɪnz
- Hear it in context
- ermines
Words that Rhyme with “ermines”
-ɝmɪnzWords that Sound Identical (Homophones)
Unique Sound"ermines" (⁄ˈɝmɪnz⁄) 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, "ermines" has a completely distinct phonetic identity.
Frequently asked questions about ermines
How do you pronounce “ermines”?
“ermines” is pronounced ⁄ˈɝmɪnz⁄ (UR-minz). Listen to the native-speaker clips above to hear it in real conversation.
How many syllables are in “ermines”?
“ermines” has 2 syllables: UR · minz.
Where is the stress in “ermines”?
The primary stress in “ermines” is on “UR”. Listen for that stressed syllable in the clips above.
What does “ermines” mean?
In blazon, coloured with a heraldic fur of a black field with white spots; counter-ermine.
How can I hear “ermines” used in real sentences?
This page has 2 real-world video examples of “ermines” 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 “ermines”?
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⁄).