How to pronounce "exterminators" in English
ɪkˈstɜːrmɪneɪtərz
ik·STUR·mih·nay·tərz
Primary stress: STUR
Hear native speakers say exterminators in context across real video clips
Linguistic Pronunciation Masterclass: “exterminators”
Phonetic mechanics, syllable architecture, and conversational cadence
Syllable Architecture & Stress Distribution
ik
Neutral schwa (⁄ə⁄): relaxed jaw, brief unstressed breath.
STUR
Gliding diphthong with sustained vocal resonance.
mih
Neutral schwa (⁄ə⁄): relaxed jaw, brief unstressed breath.
nay
Neutral schwa (⁄ə⁄): relaxed jaw, brief unstressed breath.
tərz
Neutral schwa (⁄ə⁄): relaxed jaw, brief unstressed breath.
Primary emphasis falls on the second syllable ("STUR"). Raise your pitch and sustain the vowel length on this syllable while relaxing the surrounding syllables.
Common Pronunciation Traps & Learner Mistakes
The Trap: Pronouncing a hard, aspirated [tʰ] in casual conversation can sound overly formal in North America.
How Native Speakers Say It: In American English, a single "t" between vowels quickly taps against the alveolar ridge like a soft "d" ([ɾ]). In British English, maintain a crisp aspirated [tʰ].
Connected Speech & Natural Conversational Flow
When "exterminators" is followed by a word starting with a vowel, glide the final consonant into the opening vowel (e.g. "exterminators is" sounds like "exterminators-iz").
Maintain the stress-timed rhythm of English: compress unstressed syllables rapidly so the beat of "exterminators" aligns naturally with adjacent words.
Authentic Spoken Quotes from Native Video Context
“The writer blamed their deaths on a pesticide called DDT that exterminators had sprayed on a nearby marsh.”— TED-EdWatch clip
“you would begin to hear these people selling ajo, garlic, soja, onions, exterminators who could kill”— MIT OpenCourseWareWatch clip
“So if you think about what these elections are, you can think of it as getting advice from two exterminators.”— Native SpeakerWatch clip
“devoted to that idea um it's called Valiant exterminators of dialectical Vermin and these are people like uh”— Native SpeakerWatch clip
“We tend to take care of pests after they become a problem, in other words we let them get established and then we hire exterminators or we go out, we buy some traps.”— Native SpeakerWatch clip
“And I think the world would be a better place if we had sludge exterminators.”— Native SpeakerWatch clip
Practice Speaking “exterminators”
Listen to native pronunciation, record yourself repeating the sentence into your microphone, and receive real-time word-by-word accuracy scoring.
The writer blamed their deaths on a pesticide called DDT that exterminators had sprayed on a nearby marsh.
Hear it in context: “exterminators”
12 clipsThe English word “exterminators” is transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) as ɪkˈstɜːrmɪneɪtərz (phonetic respelling: ik-STUR-mih-nay-tərz). Phonologically, it consists of 5 syllables (ik · STUR · mih · nay · tərz), with primary lexical stress placed on the 2nd syllable (STUR). Grammatically, “exterminators” functions as a noun. SayItVid indexes 12 authentic English video clips demonstrating how native speakers articulate “exterminators” in natural connected speech across American (US: 8 sampled), British (UK), and Australian (AUS) accents, including verified broadcasts from TED-Ed, MIT OpenCourseWare.
Spoken Video Transcripts & Contextual Quotes (5 Verified Clips)
- 🇺🇸 USTED-EdClip #1 · @0:13
“describing songbirds suddenly dropping from tree branches. The writer blamed their deaths on a pesticide called DDT that exterminators had sprayed on a nearby marsh. that exterminators had sprayed on a nearby marsh.”
- 🇺🇸 USMIT OpenCourseWareClip #2 · @65:15
“in Cuba sitting in your in-laws patio, you would begin to hear these people selling ajo, garlic, soja, onions, exterminators who could kill soja, onions, exterminators who could kill”
- 🇺🇸 USClip #3 · @14:31
“okay, here's the solution. So if you think about what these elections are, you can think of it as getting advice from two exterminators. elections are,”
- 🇺🇸 USClip #4 · @22:36
“trying uh and there's a chapter in here devoted to that idea um it's called Valiant exterminators of dialectical Vermin and these are people like uh Valiant exterminators of dialectical”
- 🇺🇸 USClip #5 · @3:53
“there'd be better trash management and pickup as well. We tend to take care of pests after they become a problem, in other words we let them get established and then we hire exterminators or we go out, we buy some traps. All of that is pests after they become a problem, in other words we let them get established”
Definition & Meaning: “exterminators”
- People or companies that eliminate unwanted insects or other pests from buildings or land.
Example Sentences (3)
- “We had to call the exterminators to deal with the severe termite infestation in the basement.”
- “The writer blamed their deaths on a pesticide called DDT that exterminators had sprayed on a nearby marsh.”
- “you would begin to hear these people selling ajo, garlic, soja, onions, exterminators who could kill”
Common Phrases & Collocations
Pronounce: “exterminators”
- Pronunciation:
- ik-STUR-mih-nay-tərz
- Syllables:
- ik · STUR · mih · nay · tərz
- Written Hyphenation:
- ex · ter · mi · na · tors
- Primary stress:
- STUR
- IPA:
- ɪkˈstɜːrmɪneɪtərz
- Hear it in context
- exterminators
Words that Rhyme with “exterminators”
-ɜrmɪneɪtərzWords that Sound Identical (Homophones)
Unique Sound"exterminators" (⁄ɪkˈstɜːrmɪneɪtərz⁄) 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, "exterminators" has a completely distinct phonetic identity.
Frequently asked questions about exterminators
How do you pronounce “exterminators”?
“exterminators” is pronounced ⁄ɪkˈstɜːrmɪneɪtərz⁄ (ik-STUR-mih-nay-tərz). Listen to the native-speaker clips above to hear it in real conversation.
How many syllables are in “exterminators”?
“exterminators” has 5 syllables: ik · STUR · mih · nay · tərz.
Where is the stress in “exterminators”?
The primary stress in “exterminators” is on “STUR”. Listen for that stressed syllable in the clips above.
What does “exterminators” mean?
People or companies that eliminate unwanted insects or other pests from buildings or land.
How can I hear “exterminators” used in real sentences?
This page has 12 real-world video examples of “exterminators” 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 “exterminators”?
Pronouncing a hard, aspirated [tʰ] in casual conversation can sound overly formal in North America. In American English, a single "t" between vowels quickly taps against the alveolar ridge like a soft "d" ([ɾ]). In British English, maintain a crisp aspirated [tʰ].