How to pronounce "ontrary" in English
ɒnˈtrɛri
on·TRAIR·ee
Primary stress: TRAIR
Hear native speakers say ontrary in context across real video clips
rest of her life living with her mother in New York, in Greenwich Village and in Brooklyn in a small apartment.] ontrary to your impression, I am altogether blond and have ontrary to your impression, I am altogether blond and have
Linguistic Pronunciation Masterclass: “ontrary”
Phonetic mechanics, syllable architecture, and conversational cadence
Syllable Architecture & Stress Distribution
on
Reduced vowel sound, relaxed jaw, and minimal vocal effort.
TRAIR
Elevated pitch, sustained vowel length, and full acoustic clarity.
ee
Reduced vowel sound, relaxed jaw, and minimal vocal effort.
Primary emphasis falls on the second syllable ("TRAIR"). 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 "ontrary" is followed by a word starting with a vowel, glide the final consonant into the opening vowel (e.g. "ontrary is" sounds like "ontrary-iz").
Maintain the stress-timed rhythm of English: compress unstressed syllables rapidly so the beat of "ontrary" aligns naturally with adjacent words.
Authentic Spoken Quotes from Native Video Context
“in Greenwich Village and in Brooklyn in a small apartment.] ontrary to your impression, I am altogether blond and have”— YaleCoursesWatch clip
Practice Speaking “ontrary”
Listen to native pronunciation, record yourself repeating the sentence into your microphone, and receive real-time word-by-word accuracy scoring.
in Greenwich Village and in Brooklyn in a small apartment.] ontrary to your impression, I am altogether blond and have
Hear it in context: “ontrary”
1 clipThe English word “ontrary” is transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) as ɒnˈtrɛri (phonetic respelling: on-TRAIR-ee). Phonologically, it consists of 3 syllables (on · TRAIR · ee), with primary lexical stress placed on the 2nd syllable (TRAIR). Grammatically, “ontrary” functions as a adjective. SayItVid indexes 1 authentic English video clip demonstrating how native speakers articulate “ontrary” in natural connected speech across American (US: 1 sampled), British (UK), and Australian (AUS) accents, including verified broadcasts from YaleCourses.
Spoken Video Transcripts & Contextual Quotes (1 Verified Clips)
- 🇺🇸 USYaleCoursesClip #1 · @22:13
“rest of her life living with her mother in New York, in Greenwich Village and in Brooklyn in a small apartment.] ontrary to your impression, I am altogether blond and have ontrary to your impression, I am altogether blond and have”
Definition & Meaning: “ontrary”
- A rare or erroneous variant spelling of contrary, meaning opposite in nature, direction, or meaning.
Example Sentences (2)
- “He took an ontrary view on the matter just to be difficult.”
- “in Greenwich Village and in Brooklyn in a small apartment.] ontrary to your impression, I am altogether blond and have”
Common Phrases & Collocations
Pronounce: “ontrary”
- Pronunciation:
- on-TRAIR-ee
- Syllables:
- on · TRAIR · ee
- Written Hyphenation:
- on · tra · ry
- Primary stress:
- TRAIR
- IPA:
- ɒnˈtrɛri
- Hear it in context
- ontrary
Words that Rhyme with “ontrary”
-ɛriWords that Sound Identical (Homophones)
Unique Sound"ontrary" (⁄ɒnˈtrɛri⁄) 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, "ontrary" has a completely distinct phonetic identity.
Frequently asked questions about ontrary
How do you pronounce “ontrary”?
“ontrary” is pronounced ⁄ɒnˈtrɛri⁄ (on-TRAIR-ee). Listen to the native-speaker clips above to hear it in real conversation.
How many syllables are in “ontrary”?
“ontrary” has 3 syllables: on · TRAIR · ee.
Where is the stress in “ontrary”?
The primary stress in “ontrary” is on “TRAIR”. Listen for that stressed syllable in the clips above.
What does “ontrary” mean?
A rare or erroneous variant spelling of contrary, meaning opposite in nature, direction, or meaning.
How can I hear “ontrary” used in real sentences?
This page has 1 real-world video example of “ontrary” 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 “ontrary”?
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⁄).