Portuguese · Difficult words

How to pronounce pescoço in Portuguese

pescoço

Neck

pehs-KOH-soo/pesˈko.su/

Brazilian Portuguese; reference: Brazil · Choose 1.00× to hear the original pace.

pescoço is pronounced /pesˈko.su/ in Portuguese. In pescoço: Keep the tongue toward the front and sustain a single /e/ vowel. Listen for its exact height in the recording. Listen to the word on its own, then compare it with the example sentence.

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Find the sounds in pescoço

Read pescoço in these IPA segments: pes · ˈko · su. Dots and stress marks identify the boundaries shown in the reference; these symbols are not English spelling. The mark /ˈ/ comes immediately before the main stressed syllable. Give that syllable a little more prominence without swallowing the others.

  1. 1.A steady /e/ vowel

    In pescoço: Keep the tongue toward the front and sustain a single /e/ vowel. Listen for its exact height in the recording.

    Watch out: English “ay” often ends with a glide; do not automatically carry that glide into this vowel.

  2. 2.A steady /o/ vowel

    In pescoço: Round the lips and keep the tongue toward the back for a steady /o/. Follow the length indicated in the transcription.

    Watch out: Avoid automatically turning a single /o/ into the moving vowel of English “go”.

  3. 3.Back rounded vowels

    In pescoço: Round your lips and keep the tongue toward the back. Follow the closer /u/ or more relaxed /ʊ/ quality written in the IPA.

    Watch out: Avoid inserting a y sound before the vowel unless the IPA includes /j/.

Hear it in context

Acordei com o pescoço duro.

I woke up with a stiff neck.

Listen once, say it aloud, then replay at 1.00×. Keep the word connected to the surrounding sentence rather than giving every syllable equal weight.

Pronunciation and variety

The recording uses a Brazilian Portuguese voice for pescoço. Portuguese in Portugal and other regions can differ in vowel reduction and consonants. The reference may list several realizations; the transcription here is selected for a Brazilian or unmarked pronunciation.

The English-style respelling is approximate. Use the IPA and recording together for vowel quality and consonants that do not have an exact English equivalent.

Meaning and everyday use

Questions about pescoço

How do you pronounce pescoço?

pescoço is pronounced /pesˈko.su/ in Portuguese. In pescoço: Keep the tongue toward the front and sustain a single /e/ vowel. Listen for its exact height in the recording. Listen to the word on its own, then compare it with the example sentence.

What should I listen for first?

In pescoço: Keep the tongue toward the front and sustain a single /e/ vowel. Listen for its exact height in the recording. Start at 0.75×, then return to 1.00× to hear the natural rhythm.

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