How to Pronounce EXTRAORDINARY

Learn how to pronounce extraordinary correctly by understanding the syllables and which one to stress.

The word extraordinary is made up of 5 syllables. Stress the 2nd syllable.

The British pronunciation is: eks◦TROR◦din◦ree

The American pronunciation is a little different. They make the last syllable longer:
eks◦TROR◦din◦air◦ee

Avoid the temptation to say: extra ordinary. That is incorrect.

Here is an example using the British pronunciation:

The picture shows Freddie Mercury performing.
The sentence reads: Freddie Mercury had an extraordinary vocal range!

Examples of EXTRAORDINARY from news items:

An extraordinary debut like this isn’t just a good show on a Thursday night, it’s a promise to the future.
Source: The New York Times

What was billed as an extraordinary event launched this morning in the most mundane of surroundings: a neutral-toned conference room that featured scientific researchers seated around a makeshift table.
Source: Science Magazine

California was granted the waiver because, at the time that the Clean Air Act was being developed, the state and its cities were already dealing with an air quality crisis that was considered extraordinary.
Source: The Verge

Inside, he found an extraordinary demonstration of corporations’ power to control what the public knows.
Source: The New York Times

“These 23 Poets Laureate Fellows will lead an extraordinary range of public poetry programs,” Elizabeth Alexander, president of the Mellon Foundation and also a poet, said in a statement.
Source: https://www.seattletimes.com/entertainment/23-writers-nationwide-will-serve-as-poets-laureate-fellows/

Flanagan won the prestigious Booker Prize in 2014 for “The Narrow Road to the Deep North,” an extraordinary novel about Australian POWs during World War II that is unsparing in its considerations of human cruelty.
Source: https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/books/richard-flanagan-living-sea-of-waking-dreams/2021/05/31/726b4216-befa-11eb-b26e-53663e6be6ff_story.html

Now you know how to pronounce EXTRAORDINARY, look for opportunities during the next few days, to use it in your English conversation.

If you would like to continually improve your English pronunciation, be sure to check this page:
How to Pronounce VEGETABLE

Image Credits
Slides 4 - Freddie Mercury
Creative Commons
https://flic.kr/p/6iseXb

Creative Commons License:
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/legalcode