HOW TO PRONOUNCE
tortoise
/ˈtɔɹtəs/
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American Pronunciation Guide · 0:41
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The ending has no “oy” sound.
Keep the first syllable strong and finish with a light vowel followed by s. the written oi does not make the vowel heard in toys.
2 syllables · Stress on syllable 1
TRY SAYING
“The tortoise moved into the shade.”
APG practice sentence · CC BY-SA 4.0
CMU Pronouncing Dictionary ↗What does tortoise mean?
noun
- Any of various land-dwelling reptiles, of the family Testudinidae (chiefly Canada, US) or the order Testudines (chiefly UK, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, South Africa, India), whose body is enclosed in a shell (carapace plus plastron). The animal can withdraw its head and four legs partially into the shell, providing some protection from predators.
- Synonym of cat (sense 11, a wheeled shelter)
Definitions regrouped for readability · CC BY-SA 4.0
IPA pronunciation
/ˈtɔɹtəs/
Pronunciation used in the listening tip.
CMU Pronouncing Dictionary ↗Pronunciation varies by speaker and region. About these dictionary pronunciations.
In the pages of books
See this word in context.
This tortoise might have been a member of the Royal Society, if he could have condescended to so ignoble an ambition.
So the Ducks brought a strong little stick and took hold of the ends, while the Tortoise bit firmly on the middle.
More book examples (3)
That you may duly appreciate such a feat of valour and activity, I will inform you that their English name is ‘tortoise’.
Let me shrink and draw up myself in my own shell, like a tortoise, and learn to see men without hanging upon them.
Ricketts has succeeded in grafting the skin of a frog to that of a tortoise, and also grafting frog skin to human skin.