PRONUNCIATION / Everyday language

How to pronounce mayonnaise

Check mayonnaise pronunciation with CMUdict sound tokens and stress, then practise two original sentences and download a voiceover audition worksheet.

The dictionary sound sequence

CMUdict lists this North American English pronunciation for mayonnaise. Read each sequence from left to right. The numbers mark vowel stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

Dictionary variant 1

M EY1 AH0 N EY2 Z

Syllable estimate: 3 vowel nuclei
Primary stress: 1st vowel position
Secondary stress: 3rd vowel position

Check mayonnaise in Merriam-Webster and listen to available dictionary audio.

Syllable counts come from vowel tokens; CMUdict does not supply syllable boundaries here. Variant order follows the dictionary and does not rank correctness. This lexicon does not represent every accent or context.

Use mayonnaise in context

Mayonnaise appears in ingredient lists, sandwich descriptions, and food-preparation instructions. Narration should identify when and how it is used, particularly when several sauces or mixtures occur in the same recipe. A steady instructional pace helps the listener connect the ingredient name to the correct bowl, quantity, or action.

Stir the mayonnaise into the dressing after adding the lemon juice.
The sandwich came with a small dish of mayonnaise.

Read the sound tokens

Each example word below is a cue for the named sound, rather than a respelling of mayonnaise. Unstressed vowels may sound reduced. These cues follow the CMU phoneme-set key (Appendix A).

Msound in meconsonant

EYsound in atevowel

AHsound in hutvowel

Nsound in kneeconsonant

Zsound in zeeconsonant

TAKE IT TO YOUR NEXT RECORDING

Make an audition worksheet

Select a dictionary variant for your checklist. The two original sentences retain their normal spelling; this worksheet helps you review a recording rather than forcing a speech engine to use phonemes.

Worksheet pronunciation variant

Your plain-text audition worksheet

How to pronounce mayonnaise

Word: mayonnaise
Dictionary variant: 1 of 1
CMUdict ARPABET: M EY1 AH0 N EY2 Z
Vowel nuclei / estimated syllables: 3
Primary stress: 1st vowel position

ORIGINAL AUDITION SCRIPT
Stir the mayonnaise into the dressing after adding the lemon juice.
The sandwich came with a small dish of mayonnaise.

REVIEW CHECKLIST
[ ] Read both sentences naturally; keep the source wording.
[ ] Compare the intended pronunciation with the selected dictionary variant.
[ ] Listen for vowel sounds, consonants, and word stress in context.
[ ] Check with a speaker or another dictionary when accent or meaning matters.
[ ] Generate and listen to a short Murmur sample before exporting the full script.

Practice note: Test mayonnaise with the quantity and preparation step in your recipe. Listen to the sequence of ingredients together, checking that the name remains clear and that the voice gives the listener time to connect it with the correct mixing action.

CMUdict is a North American English lexicon, not a recording or a complete accent guide.
Variant order is dictionary order; it is not a ranking of correctness.
Source: https://github.com/cmusphinx/cmudict/blob/74790861f652b15e4ac49015a90074ad62a27690/cmudict.dict
Source commit: 74790861f652b15e4ac49015a90074ad62a27690
License: https://www.murmurtts.com/downloads/cmudict-license.txt
Reference: https://www.murmurtts.com/pronunciation/mayonnaise

Copying and downloading happen in your browser. No script upload or audio generation is needed.

Dictionary source

The phonemes on this page come from CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. The dictionary maintainers acknowledge that errors and omissions can remain; check another source or a speaker when the pronunciation matters.

CMUdict README · Included dictionary license

Source version and checksum

Commit: 74790861f652b15e4ac49015a90074ad62a27690

Dictionary SHA-256: 81917843c7f44ce2b094ac63873c2c7a4cf802040792c455ba3ca406891c3d22

Build a pronunciation test suite for local TTS · Browse all word references