How to pronounce "risk averse" in English
ˌrɪsk.əˈvɜːrs
risk·ə·VURS
Primary stress: VURS
Hear native speakers say risk averse in context across real video clips
Linguistic Pronunciation Masterclass: “risk averse”
Phonetic mechanics, syllable architecture, and conversational cadence
Syllable Architecture & Stress Distribution
risk
Neutral schwa (⁄ə⁄): relaxed jaw, brief unstressed breath.
ə
Neutral schwa (⁄ə⁄): relaxed jaw, brief unstressed breath.
VURS
Tense long vowel with sustained acoustic resonance.
Primary emphasis falls on the third syllable ("VURS"). 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 followed by a vowel, insert a subtle glide (/w/ or /j/) to connect into the subsequent word without an abrupt glottal stop.
Maintain the stress-timed rhythm of English: compress unstressed syllables rapidly so the beat of "risk averse" aligns naturally with adjacent words.
Authentic Spoken Quotes from Native Video Context
“Risk averse, so if you want me to invest in capital, you have to give me a high return.”— Khan AcademyWatch clip
“risk in this kind of measurable sense risk averse people will be willing to”— YaleCoursesWatch clip
“pretty risk averse culture but you um there was the there was that period”— StanfordWatch clip
“risk averse, the ambition for constitutional change has declined.”— TEDx TalksWatch clip
“actually risk averse private credit has not focused on job creation private credit has not sought to lend in markets”— CNBCWatch clip
“notoriously risk averse startups that changed the world like Facebook Google or Apple won't be found”— Native SpeakerWatch clip
Practice Speaking “risk averse”
Listen to native pronunciation, record yourself repeating the sentence into your microphone, and receive real-time word-by-word accuracy scoring.
Risk averse, so if you want me to invest in capital, you have to give me a high return.
Hear it in context: “risk averse”
634 clipsThe English word “risk averse” is transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) as ˌrɪsk.əˈvɜːrs (phonetic respelling: risk-ə-VURS). Phonologically, it consists of 3 syllables (risk · ə · VURS), with primary lexical stress placed on the 3rd syllable (VURS). Grammatically, “risk averse” functions as a adjective. SayItVid indexes 634 authentic English video clips demonstrating how native speakers articulate “risk averse” in natural connected speech across American (US: 8 sampled), British (UK), and Australian (AUS) accents, including verified broadcasts from Khan Academy, YaleCourses, Stanford.
Spoken Video Transcripts & Contextual Quotes (5 Verified Clips)
- 🇺🇸 USKhan AcademyClip #1 · @5:45
“So maybe this is a world that is very risk averse. Risk averse, so if you want me to invest in capital, you have to give me a high return. you have to give me a high return.”
- 🇺🇸 USYaleCoursesClip #2 · @1:03
“called The learned feat that I run with uh but back to risk when things are at risk in this kind of measurable sense risk averse people will be willing to pay for insurance to mitigate uh or eliminate the risk uh economists have”
- 🇺🇸 USStanfordClip #3 · @23:49
“averse on the inside even though on the outside it looks very trendy yeah it's a pretty risk averse culture but you um there was the there was that period And I don't know a lot of the history but I know as as a consumer I bought the”
- 🇺🇸 USTEDx TalksClip #4 · @7:49
“our politicians become more and more risk averse, the ambition for constitutional change has declined. In constitutional change has declined. In”
- 🇺🇸 USCNBCClip #5 · @5:40
“track record of private credit it is actually risk averse private credit has not focused on job creation private credit has not sought to lend in markets not focused on job creation private”
Definition & Meaning: “risk averse”
- Reluctant to take risks or prefering to avoid situations involving exposure to potential loss or danger.
Example Sentences (3)
- “Being risk-averse, she chose to invest her savings in government bonds rather than stocks.”
- “Risk averse, so if you want me to invest in capital, you have to give me a high return.”
- “risk in this kind of measurable sense risk averse people will be willing to”
Pronounce: “risk averse”
- Pronunciation:
- risk-ə-VURS
- Syllables:
- risk · ə · VURS
- Written Hyphenation:
- risk · a · verse
- Primary stress:
- VURS
- IPA:
- ˌrɪsk.əˈvɜːrs
- Hear it in context
- risk averse
Words that Sound Identical (Homophones)
Unique Sound"risk averse" (⁄ˌrɪsk.əˈvɜːrs⁄) 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, "risk averse" has a completely distinct phonetic identity.
Frequently asked questions about risk averse
How do you pronounce “risk averse”?
“risk averse” is pronounced ⁄ˌrɪsk.əˈvɜːrs⁄ (risk-ə-VURS). Listen to the native-speaker clips above to hear it in real conversation.
How many syllables are in “risk averse”?
“risk averse” has 3 syllables: risk · ə · VURS.
Where is the stress in “risk averse”?
The primary stress in “risk averse” is on “VURS”. Listen for that stressed syllable in the clips above.
What does “risk averse” mean?
Reluctant to take risks or prefering to avoid situations involving exposure to potential loss or danger.
How can I hear “risk averse” used in real sentences?
This page has 634 real-world video examples of “risk averse” 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 “risk averse”?
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⁄).