How to Pronounce Choir

Choir is one of those English words that looks like it should be much harder to pronounce than it actually is.

You see choir and your brain starts trying to work out what on earth all those letters are doing.

But don’t worry.

Once you know the secret, choir is actually quite easy to say.

Let’s take a look at how to pronounce this tricky English word.

What Does “Choir” Mean in English?

A choir is a group of people who sing together, usually as part of a performance, concert or religious service.

For example:

You might also hear people talk about a choir concert, church choir or school choir.

In British English, choir is pronounced:

KWY-er

It has two syllables:

KWY – er

The first syllable sounds like why, but with a kw sound at the beginning.

So:

KWY-er

It’s definitely not pronounced:

CHOR

CHOO-ir

KOY-er

English spelling strikes again.

The main problem is the spelling.

If you look at choir, you might expect the ch to give you a ch sound, as it does in words such as chair, cheese and children.

But it doesn’t.

In choir, the ch is pronounced like a k sound.

The oi then gives us the sound you hear in why, and the final r forms part of the second syllable.

So:

choir → KWY-er

There are only five letters in the word.

Unfortunately, those five letters aren’t particularly interested in making things easy for you.

Choir has two syllables:

KWY – er

The first syllable is stressed:

KWY-er

Try saying the two parts separately at first:

KWY

Then put them together:

KWY-er

Want to improve faster? Keep practising:

👉 Tip: Focus on listening + repeating, not just reading.