How to pronounce quire
Say it like KWIRE. Quire is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress.
Click the play button next to American or British to hear how to pronounce quire. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- KWIRE
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Quire pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- KWIRESay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "i" in time.
American vs British pronunciation of quire
- American English uses 1 syllable and British English 2.
- Americans pronounce the r after a vowel; most British speakers leave it silent and lengthen the vowel instead.
British respelling: KWY-uh.
What does quire mean?
- One-twentieth of a ream of paper; a collection of twenty-four or twenty-five sheets of paper of the same size and quality, unfolded or having a single fold.
- A set of leaves which are stitched together, originally a set of four pieces of paper (eight leaves, sixteen pages). This is most often a single signature (i.e. group of four), but may be several nested signatures.
- A book, poem, or pamphlet.
- Uncommon form of choir (“one quarter of a cruciform church, or the architectural area of a church used by the choir, often near the apse”). How to pronounce choir
- To prepare quires by stitching together leaves of paper.
Where does quire come from?
From Middle English quayer, from Anglo-Norman quaier and Old French quaer, from Latin quaternus (“fourfold”), from quater (“four times”).
Words that rhyme with quire
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of quire.
Questions about saying quire
How do you pronounce quire?
Say KWIRE. The American pronunciation is /kwaɪr/. In British English it is /ˈkwaɪə/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in quire?
Quire is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: KWIRE.
Is quire pronounced differently in British English?
Yes. American English uses 1 syllable and British English 2. The British form is /ˈkwaɪə/ (KWY-uh).