How to pronounce "children" in English
ˈtʃɪl.drən
CHIL·drən
Primary stress: CHIL
Hear native speakers say children in context across real video clips
Linguistic Pronunciation Masterclass: “children”
Phonetic mechanics, syllable architecture, and conversational cadence
Syllable Architecture & Stress Distribution
CHIL
Elevated pitch, sustained vowel length, and full acoustic clarity.
drən
Neutral schwa (⁄ə⁄): relaxed jaw, brief unstressed breath.
Primary emphasis falls on the first syllable ("CHIL"). 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 "children" is followed by a word starting with a vowel, glide the final consonant into the opening vowel (e.g. "children is" sounds like "children-iz").
In natural sentences, avoid over-stressing "children" unless it conveys the core contrast or focal point of your message.
Authentic Spoken Quotes from Native Video Context
“Children only go to school once, and it's vital that we make the best possible use of instructional time.”— Native SpeakerWatch clip
“Children. Because if those Children then have Children, then those cast of Children would have a lower indigenous”— Native SpeakerWatch clip
“children and teenagers. And we're joined now by Elena Remer, assistant professor of law at Central”— Native SpeakerWatch clip
“children self-soothe themselves with whatever's in the crib, such as a teddy bear or a blanket.”— Native SpeakerWatch clip
“Children that grow up in a home with no pets have the most ear aches.”— Native SpeakerWatch clip
“children's hospital were hit.”— Native SpeakerWatch clip
Practice Speaking “children”
Listen to native pronunciation, record yourself repeating the sentence into your microphone, and receive real-time word-by-word accuracy scoring.
Children only go to school once, and it's vital that we make the best possible use of instructional time.
Hear it in context: “children”
87,848 clipsThe English word “children” is transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) as ˈtʃɪl.drən (phonetic respelling: CHIL-drən). Phonologically, it consists of 2 syllables (CHIL · drən), with primary lexical stress placed on the 1st (initial) syllable (CHIL). Grammatically, “children” functions as a noun. SayItVid indexes 87,848 authentic English video clips demonstrating how native speakers articulate “children” 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 · @34:55
“to translate that science into effective classroom practice. Children only go to school once, and it's vital that we make the best possible use of instructional time. that we make the best possible use of instructional time.”
- 🇺🇸 USClip #2 · @8:51
“into, uh, white foster homes to raise them as white Children. Because if those Children then have Children, then those cast of Children would have a lower indigenous then those cast of Children would have a lower indigenous”
- 🇺🇸 USClip #3 · @3:41
“taking the risk, even unaccompanied children and teenagers. And we're joined now by Elena Remer, assistant professor of law at Central >> And we're joined now by Elena Remer,”
- 🇺🇸 USClip #4 · @18:08
“from their parents, usually around the first year, children self-soothe themselves with whatever's in the crib, such as a teddy bear or a blanket. in the crib, such as a teddy bear or a blanket.”
- 🇺🇸 USClip #5 · @17:26
“You know? Children that grow up in a home with no pets have the most ear aches. have the most ear aches.”
Definition & Meaning: “children”
- More than half (50%) of some group.
- Any share or fraction that is bigger than any one of its counterpart shares or fractions (of the same whole).
- Plural form of child, referring to young human beings below the age of puberty or below the legal age of majority.
Example Sentences (3)
- “The majority agreed that the new proposal was the best.”
- “The children played happily in the park all afternoon.”
- “Children only go to school once, and it's vital that we make the best possible use of instructional time.”
Common Phrases & Collocations
Pronounce: “children”
- Pronunciation:
- CHIL-drən
- Syllables:
- CHIL · drən
- Written Hyphenation:
- chil · dren
- Primary stress:
- CHIL
- IPA:
- ˈtʃɪl.drən
- Hear it in context
- children
Words that Rhyme with “children”
-ɪldrənWords that Sound Identical (Homophones)
Unique Sound"children" (⁄ˈtʃɪl.drən⁄) 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, "children" has a completely distinct phonetic identity.
Frequently asked questions about children
How do you pronounce “children”?
“children” is pronounced ⁄ˈtʃɪl.drən⁄ (CHIL-drən). Listen to the native-speaker clips above to hear it in real conversation.
How many syllables are in “children”?
“children” has 2 syllables: CHIL · drən.
Where is the stress in “children”?
The primary stress in “children” is on “CHIL”. Listen for that stressed syllable in the clips above.
What does “children” mean?
More than half (50%) of some group.
How can I hear “children” used in real sentences?
This page has 87848 real-world video examples of “children” 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 “children”?
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⁄).