PRONUNCIATION / Science and learning

How to pronounce opaque

Check opaque 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 opaque. Read each sequence from left to right. The numbers mark vowel stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

Dictionary variant 1

OW0 P EY1 K

Syllable estimate: 2 vowel nuclei
Primary stress: 2nd vowel position

Check opaque 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 opaque in context

Opaque describes material that does not let light pass through, but it can also describe an explanation that is difficult to understand. Product demonstrations and technical lessons may use either meaning. Make the surrounding nouns clear so the listener knows whether the script concerns a physical surface or an unclear process.

The opaque cover protects the film from light.
The report's opaque language left the volunteers unsure what to do.

Read the sound tokens

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

OWsound in oatvowel

Psound in peeconsonant

EYsound in atevowel

Ksound in keyconsonant

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 opaque

Word: opaque
Dictionary variant: 1 of 1
CMUdict ARPABET: OW0 P EY1 K
Vowel nuclei / estimated syllables: 2
Primary stress: 2nd vowel position

ORIGINAL AUDITION SCRIPT
The opaque cover protects the film from light.
The report's opaque language left the volunteers unsure what to do.

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: Audition opaque with the object or explanation it describes. Compare the complete phrases opaque cover and opaque language, listening for whether the voice preserves the intended contrast without adding a pause that separates the adjective from its noun.

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/opaque

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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

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