How to pronounce 20 arts and literature words
Hear vocabulary for books, music, and visual art, from elegy and oeuvre to fugue and repertoire.
Hear the borrowed spellings
Facade uses an s sound for c; fugue has one syllable; xylophone begins with z. Say the word after listening, then add the practice phrase. Let the sound lead when the spelling is unfamiliar.
Keep separate vowels audible
Practice aria, poetry, and requiem with three syllables each. Listen for the lighter vowels between the main beat and the ending. Compare them with the shorter, two-syllable pronunciation of opera, OP-ruh, which moves directly from p to r.
Connect listening with reading
Open an individual word page to explore its sourced book passages where available. A passage shows the word in context; the listening note explains its sounds and stress. Read one practice phrase aloud, then describe a book, concert, or painting using the word.
Your listening list
20 wordsChoose a word to hear it in an APG video.
Test these pronunciations
Try 4 questions from this guide. Each answer includes an APG video, dictionary reference, and explanation.
Try this guide’s quiz →More words in this topic
81 wordsKeep listening with an APG video and a pronunciation tip for each word.
- accolades
Keep the primary stress on “ac.”
- adage
Stress AD.
- amateur
Stress the first syllable: AM.
- ambience
AM-bee-uhns: give the opening syllable the weight.
- ambiguity
Stress “gu,” with the sound of “gyoo.”
- ambivalent
Give “biv” the strongest beat.
- ancient
Start with the vowel in “day.”
- anecdote
Stress “an” and keep “k” before “d.”
- annals
AN-uhlz: begin as you would begin “animal.”
- apocryphal
Stress “poc”; “ph” sounds like “f.”
- apostrophe
Stress “pos” and pronounce the final “ee.”
- apothecary
uh-POTH-uh-kair-ee: stress POTH.
- apotheosis
Stress OH near the end.
- arbitrary
Stress AR at the beginning.
- archaeologist
ar-kee-OL-uh-jist: ch has a k sound.
- archaic
Stress “cha,” using a “k” sound and long “a.”
- archangel
ar-KAYN-juhl: join the k to the long a.
- archipelago
Use a “k” sound and stresses “pel.”
- architect
Stress “ar” and pronounce “ch” as “k.”
- architecture
Keep the primary stress at the beginning.
- armistice
AR-mih-stiss: keep the first syllable strongest.
- articulate
As a verb, end with late.
- artisan
Stress “ar” and give “s” a voiced “z” sound.
- ascetic
uh-SET-ik: the middle syllable carries the stress.
- asunder
Give “sun” the strongest beat.
- author
Use the unvoiced “th” of “thin.”
- beguile
Stress “guile” and keep the “g” hard.
- behemoth
bih-HEE-muth: bring out the long ee.
- biography
Give the second syllable the main beat.
- biopic
BY-oh-pik: begin as you would say “bio.”
- blasphemous
BLAS-fuh-muhs: ph makes an f sound.
- blasphemy
Stress “blas” and pronounce “ph” as “f.”
- bourgeoisie
boor-zhwah-ZEE: the ending takes the main stress.
- brochure
broh-SHOOR: stress the second syllable.
- burlesque
Stress “lesque” and finish with “sk.”
- cacophony
Stress the second syllable and give “ph” an “f” sound.
- calliope
Stress “li,” using the vowel in “my.”
- camouflage
Keep the primary stress on “cam.”
- caricature
Keep the main beat on the opening syllable.
- cello
The “c” has the “ch” sound of “chair.”
- character
Begin with “k,” rather than the “ch” of “chair.”
- chiaroscuro
kyar-uh-SKYOOR-oh: listen for the consonant clusters.
- chicanery
shih-KAY-nuh-ree: ch sounds like sh.
- chivalry
SHIV-uhl-ree: start with sh, then a short i.
- choreographer
kor-ee-OG-ruh-fer: the main stress is on OG.
- cinema
Start with “s” and stress the first syllable.
- cinematographer
sin-uh-muh-TOG-ruh-fer: the stress moves to TOG.
- clandestine
klan-DES-tin: put the main beat in the middle.
- cliche
Stress the last syllable, which sounds like “shay.”
- collage
Stress the second syllable and finish with “zh.”
- colloquial
Give “lo” the strongest beat.
- colonnade
kol-uh-NAYD: save the main stress for the end.
- connotation
Stress “ta,” using the vowel in “day.”
- demagogue
Start with a strong “dem.”
- denouement
day-noo-MAHN: put the main beat on the last syllable.
- dialogue
Stress “di,” using the vowel in “my.”
- ebullient
Stress the second syllable, “bul.”
- elocution
Stress “cu,” with the sound of “kyoo.”
- ephemeral
The second syllable, “fem,” is strongest.
- epiphany
Put the main beat on “pif.”
- euphemism
Begin with the sound of “you.”
- fallacy
Stress “fal” and end with “see.”
- guillotine
Start with a strong “gil.”
- hubris
Start with “hyoo” and stress the first syllable.
- imagery
Give the opening “im” the strongest beat.
- laconic
Put the main beat on “con.”
- literature
Keep the first syllable strongest.
- myriad
Start with a stressed short “i.”
- omniscient
Stress “nis” and listen for “sh.”
- panacea
Stress “see,” the third syllable.
- paradox
Keep the main beat on the first syllable.
- portmanteau
port-MAN-toh: stress MAN.
- raconteur
rak-on-TUR: stress the final er sound.
- rhapsody
RAP-suh-dee: the h does not add a sound.
- rococo
ruh-KOH-koh: put the strongest beat on the middle o.
- soprano
suh-PRAN-oh: use the a in “cat” for PRAN.
- SZA
SIZ-uh: two syllables, with the first one stressed.
- tableau
ta-BLOH: the final eau sounds like “oh.”
- Tame Impala
TAYM im-PAH-luh: keep tame to one syllable.
- timbre
TIM-ber: rhyme with “timber.”
- vignette
Stress “nette” and listen for the “ny” sequence.
Sources & classroom use
Each listening tip follows the IPA shown beside its word. Other dictionary pronunciations appear on the word page; individual speakers may vary.
Practice phrases were written for these exercises; quoted book passages remain in the separate, sourced book sections. These guides and practice notes are available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Credit American Pronunciation Guide and retain the linked dictionary attributions. Videos and other reference material keep their own terms.
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