How to pronounce "secretary" in English
ˈsɛkrəˌtɛri
SEK·rə·tair·ee
Primary stress: SEK
Hear native speakers say secretary in context across real video clips
Linguistic Pronunciation Masterclass: “secretary”
Phonetic mechanics, syllable architecture, and conversational cadence
Syllable Architecture & Stress Distribution
SEK
Elevated pitch, sustained vowel length, and full acoustic clarity.
rə
Neutral schwa (⁄ə⁄): relaxed jaw, brief unstressed breath.
tair
Neutral schwa (⁄ə⁄): relaxed jaw, brief unstressed breath.
ee
Neutral schwa (⁄ə⁄): relaxed jaw, brief unstressed breath.
Primary emphasis falls on the first syllable ("SEK"). 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 "secretary" is followed by a word starting with a vowel, glide the final consonant into the opening vowel (e.g. "secretary is" sounds like "secretary-iz").
Maintain the stress-timed rhythm of English: compress unstressed syllables rapidly so the beat of "secretary" aligns naturally with adjacent words.
Authentic Spoken Quotes from Native Video Context
“Secretary Kerry and others have sort of picked up Lang Long's story and run with it, which is great.”— Native SpeakerWatch clip
“Secretary Perry, related to that, I've been impressed that over the last half century plus, the international community has”— Native SpeakerWatch clip
“Secretary-General. Around 120 countries have abolished the death penalty. Others have it as a legal option for serious”— Native SpeakerWatch clip
“secretary of defense bill perry at the hoover institute a democrat and enlisted henry kissinger former secretary of”— Native SpeakerWatch clip
“secretary of defense, he admitted that we don't think there's really a Soviet threat to Iran.”— Native SpeakerWatch clip
“Secretary of the Interior is the final decision maker and said, "The Secretary is not gonna list the polar bear."”— Native SpeakerWatch clip
Practice Speaking “secretary”
Listen to native pronunciation, record yourself repeating the sentence into your microphone, and receive real-time word-by-word accuracy scoring.
Secretary Kerry and others have sort of picked up Lang Long's story and run with it, which is great.
Hear it in context: “secretary”
20,838 clipsThe English word “secretary” is transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) as ˈsɛkrəˌtɛri (phonetic respelling: SEK-rə-tair-ee). Phonologically, it consists of 4 syllables (SEK · rə · tair · ee), with primary lexical stress placed on the 1st (initial) syllable (SEK). Grammatically, “secretary” functions as a noun, verb and acts as an English heteronym where syllable stress shifts between noun (initial-syllable stress) and verb (second-syllable stress) usage. SayItVid indexes 20,838 authentic English video clips demonstrating how native speakers articulate “secretary” in natural connected speech across American (US: 8 sampled), British (UK), and Australian (AUS) accents.
Spoken Video Transcripts & Contextual Quotes (5 Verified Clips)
- 🇺🇸 USClip #1 · @35:58
“we focused on one guy named Lang Long. Secretary Kerry and others have sort of picked up Lang Long's story and run with it, which is great. picked up Lang Long's story and run with it, which is great.”
- 🇺🇸 USClip #2 · @34:44
“this protection message quite a bit to the ultimate conclusion. Secretary Perry, related to that, I've been impressed that over the last half century plus, the international community has that, I've been impressed that over the last half century”
- 🇺🇸 USClip #3 · @2:18
“the death penalty prepared by the UN Secretary-General. Around 120 countries have abolished the death penalty. Others have it as a legal option for serious have abolished the death penalty. Others”
- 🇺🇸 USClip #4 · @15:26
“a republican has joined up with former secretary of defense bill perry at the hoover institute a democrat and enlisted henry kissinger former secretary of hoover institute a democrat and enlisted”
- 🇺🇸 USClip #5 · @33:52
“Christopher who was later Clinton's secretary of defense, he admitted that we don't think there's really a Soviet threat to Iran. we don't think there's really a Soviet”
Definition & Meaning: “secretary”
- A person who keeps records, takes notes and handles general clerical work.
- The head of a department of government.
- To serve as a secretary of.
Example Sentences (3)
- “I have a personal secretary to help me organize my clients.”
- “Well briefly, sir, I am the Permanent Under Secretary of State, known as the Permanent Secretary.”
- “Secretary Kerry and others have sort of picked up Lang Long's story and run with it, which is great.”
Common Phrases & Collocations
Pronounce: “secretary”
- Pronunciation:
- SEK-rə-tair-ee
- Syllables:
- SEK · rə · tair · ee
- Written Hyphenation:
- sec · re · tar · y
- Primary stress:
- SEK
- IPA:
- ˈsɛkrəˌtɛri
- Hear it in context
- secretary
Words that Rhyme with “secretary”
-ɛkrəˌtɛriWords that Sound Identical (Homophones)
Unique Sound"secretary" (⁄ˈsɛkrəˌtɛri⁄) 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, "secretary" has a completely distinct phonetic identity.
Frequently asked questions about secretary
How do you pronounce “secretary”?
“secretary” is pronounced ⁄ˈsɛkrəˌtɛri⁄ (SEK-rə-tair-ee). Listen to the native-speaker clips above to hear it in real conversation.
How many syllables are in “secretary”?
“secretary” has 4 syllables: SEK · rə · tair · ee.
Where is the stress in “secretary”?
The primary stress in “secretary” is on “SEK”. Listen for that stressed syllable in the clips above.
What does “secretary” mean?
A person who keeps records, takes notes and handles general clerical work.
How can I hear “secretary” used in real sentences?
This page has 20838 real-world video examples of “secretary” 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 “secretary”?
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].