How to pronounce "runnerup" in English
ˌrʌn.ərˈʌp
ruhn·ər·UHP
Primary stress: UHP
Hear native speakers say runnerup in context across real video clips
Linguistic Pronunciation Masterclass: “runnerup”
Phonetic mechanics, syllable architecture, and conversational cadence
Syllable Architecture & Stress Distribution
ruhn
Neutral schwa (⁄ə⁄): relaxed jaw, brief unstressed breath.
ər
Neutral schwa (⁄ə⁄): relaxed jaw, brief unstressed breath.
UHP
Elevated pitch, sustained vowel length, and full acoustic clarity.
Primary emphasis falls on the third syllable ("UHP"). 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 "runnerup" is followed by a word starting with a vowel, glide the final consonant into the opening vowel (e.g. "runnerup is" sounds like "runnerup-iz").
Maintain the stress-timed rhythm of English: compress unstressed syllables rapidly so the beat of "runnerup" aligns naturally with adjacent words.
Authentic Spoken Quotes from Native Video Context
“debater are notable including being the runnerup in the gems inter School”— TEDx TalksWatch clip
“soap opera actress and there's a famous actress who was a runnerup 10 years in a row and she actually became famous for never winning anyone know her name yes”— MIT OpenCourseWareWatch clip
“former president has won the Iowa caucuses by a huge margin meanwhile Florida Governor Ron dentes is peeping Nikki Haley to the runnerup spot as the”— Native SpeakerWatch clip
“former Pennsylvania senator and 2012 Republican presidential runnerup Rick Santorum who won't be joining the flag football and ski shooting at the Romney”— Native SpeakerWatch clip
“City joining us now as former Pennsylvania senator in 2012 Republican Presidential runnerup Rick Santorum who won't be joining the flag football in”— Native SpeakerWatch clip
“and that was in 2024 this last year I had just come off of a second runnerup win and let me tell you guys I was feeling confident okay a little too”— TEDx TalksWatch clip
Practice Speaking “runnerup”
Listen to native pronunciation, record yourself repeating the sentence into your microphone, and receive real-time word-by-word accuracy scoring.
debater are notable including being the runnerup in the gems inter School
Hear it in context: “runnerup”
6 clipsThe English word “runnerup” is transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) as ˌrʌn.ərˈʌp (phonetic respelling: ruhn-ər-UHP). Phonologically, it consists of 3 syllables (ruhn · ər · UHP), with primary lexical stress placed on the 3rd syllable (UHP). Grammatically, “runnerup” functions as a noun. SayItVid indexes 6 authentic English video clips demonstrating how native speakers articulate “runnerup” in natural connected speech across American (US: 6 sampled), British (UK), and Australian (AUS) accents, including verified broadcasts from TEDx Talks, MIT OpenCourseWare.
Spoken Video Transcripts & Contextual Quotes (5 Verified Clips)
- 🇺🇸 USTEDx TalksClip #1 · @0:27
“in her students lives her accomplishments as a public speaker and debater are notable including being the runnerup in the gems inter School teachers debate competition today she brings her wealth of insights to address”
- 🇺🇸 USMIT OpenCourseWareClip #2 · @6:36
“drama series of the year or what actor or actress is chosen to be the best uh soap opera actress and there's a famous actress who was a runnerup 10 years in a row and she actually became famous for never winning anyone know her name yes row and she actually became famous for never winning anyone know her name yes”
- 🇺🇸 USClip #3 · @0:09
“Republican voters to become their 2024 Presidential nominee as expected the former president has won the Iowa caucuses by a huge margin meanwhile Florida Governor Ron dentes is peeping Nikki Haley to the runnerup spot as the Florida Governor Ron dentes is peeping Nikki Haley to the runnerup spot as the”
- 🇺🇸 USClip #4 · @0:00
“former Pennsylvania senator and 2012 Republican presidential runnerup Rick Santorum who won't be joining the flag football and ski shooting at the Romney Santorum who won't be joining the flag football and ski shooting at the Romney”
- 🇺🇸 USClip #5 · @14:49
“was Scott Walker when we come back John talks to Rick Santorum back in New York City joining us now as former Pennsylvania senator in 2012 Republican Presidential runnerup Rick Santorum who won't be joining the flag football in Presidential runnerup Rick Santorum who won't be joining the flag football in”
Definition & Meaning: “runnerup”
- A competitor or team that finishes in second place in a contest or tournament.
Example Sentences (3)
- “She was disappointed to be the runnerup after training so hard for the championship.”
- “debater are notable including being the runnerup in the gems inter School”
- “soap opera actress and there's a famous actress who was a runnerup 10 years in a row and she actually became famous for never winning anyone know her name yes”
Common Phrases & Collocations
Pronounce: “runnerup”
- Pronunciation:
- ruhn-ər-UHP
- Syllables:
- ruhn · ər · UHP
- Written Hyphenation:
- run · ner · up
- Primary stress:
- UHP
- IPA:
- ˌrʌn.ərˈʌp
- Hear it in context
- runnerup
Words that Rhyme with “runnerup”
-ʌpWords that Sound Identical (Homophones)
Unique Sound"runnerup" (⁄ˌrʌn.ərˈʌp⁄) 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, "runnerup" has a completely distinct phonetic identity.
Frequently asked questions about runnerup
How do you pronounce “runnerup”?
“runnerup” is pronounced ⁄ˌrʌn.ərˈʌp⁄ (ruhn-ər-UHP). Listen to the native-speaker clips above to hear it in real conversation.
How many syllables are in “runnerup”?
“runnerup” has 3 syllables: ruhn · ər · UHP.
Where is the stress in “runnerup”?
The primary stress in “runnerup” is on “UHP”. Listen for that stressed syllable in the clips above.
What does “runnerup” mean?
A competitor or team that finishes in second place in a contest or tournament.
How can I hear “runnerup” used in real sentences?
This page has 6 real-world video examples of “runnerup” 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 “runnerup”?
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⁄).