Words ending in -ture in English: list, pronunciation and examples

If you have ever read picture as «pic-tyoor», future as «fu-tur» or nature as «na-tyoor», you are not alone. The ending -ture appears in hundreds of English words (nature, picture, future, culture, adventure, furniture…) and almost all of them are pronounced the same way: /tʃə/, like a very short, unstressed «cha». And the good news is that once you master it, you can apply it to the whole family at once.

Don’t worry, because it is one of the most reliable rules in English pronunciation. In this guide I explain how -ture sounds and why, give you a list of more than thirty words with their transcription and meaning, tell you where the stress falls, the few exceptions, the difference from -sure (measure, pleasure), the most common mistakes and some quick questions. At the end there are thirty practice sentences with answers. Let’s get started! 🙂

How -ture is pronounced in English

The ending -ture is pronounced /tʃə/ in almost every word. That is, it sounds like the «ch» of «church» followed by a very short neutral vowel (the schwa):

Three important things:

• It is not «tyoor» or «tur». What you hear is /tʃ/ and then an almost inaudible vowel. The u is not pronounced as in the word «tune».
• The final «r» is not pronounced (in British English). The ending is just /ə/, not «chur» or «cher».
• The -ture syllable is never stressed. It is a weak syllable: ˈpic-ture, ˈna-ture, adˈven-ture.

Why it sounds /tʃə/

The reason is a very common process in English: when a /t/ is followed by a /j/ (the sound at the start of «yes»), the two merge into a single sound, /tʃ/. In nature the sequence /tj/ became /tʃ/ over time, just as in actually /ˈæktʃuəli/, natural /ˈnætʃrəl/ or situation /ˌsɪtʃuˈeɪʃn/. So whenever you meet -tu- in the middle of an English word, there is a good chance it sounds /tʃ/.

List of words ending in -ture

Here are more than thirty words, grouped by type of use so they are easier to remember. All of them end in /tʃə/.

The most common

Listen to the words, one after another:

Study, art and science

Listen to the words, one after another:

Everyday life and other useful words

Listen to the words, one after another:

Where the stress falls

The rule is simple: the -ture syllable is never stressed, so the stress falls earlier. But it is worth checking which syllable is stressed, because it is not always the first:

• Stress on the first syllable: ˈpicture, ˈnature, ˈfuture, ˈculture, ˈfurniture, ˈtemperature.
• Stress on the second syllable: adˈventure, deˈparture.

If you put the stress in the wrong place (for example, «ADventure» with stress on ad-), the listener will have more trouble understanding you than if you pronounce /tʃə/ slightly wrong.

Exceptions: mature, premature and overture

There are a few words where -ture is not /tʃə/ and keeps a long vowel at the end. In British English they are pronounced with /tʃʊə/ (and in some dictionaries also /tjʊə/):

Listen to the four words:

Notice that the final vowel is long (/ʊə/) and that in mature and immature that last syllable is stressed. Do not confuse them with nature /ˈneɪtʃə/.

Do not confuse -ture with -sure

The ending -sure looks very similar in writing, but it sounds different: it is pronounced /ʒə/ (like the «s» in «vision») or /ʃə/, and not /tʃə/:

Listen to the five words:

A trick so you do not mix them up: look at the letter before the ending. If you see a t (-ture), think /tʃ/ as in «church». If you see an s (-sure), think of a softer sound, with no /t/.

Common mistakes with -ture

• ❌ Pronouncing the u like «tune»: «pic-tyoor», «na-tyoor». → ✅ It is /tʃə/: picture /ˈpɪktʃə/, nature /ˈneɪtʃə/.
• ❌ Pronouncing the final «r»: «na-chur». → ✅ In British English the ending is just /ə/, with no «r».
• ❌ Stressing the -ture syllable: «fu-TURE». → ✅ The stress comes earlier: ˈfuture /ˈfjuːtʃə/.
• ❌ Saying adventure with the stress on the first syllable: «ADventure». → ✅ It is adˈventure /ədˈventʃə/.
• ❌ Pronouncing temperature with four full syllables: «tem-pe-ra-chur». → ✅ It is usually said /ˈtemprətʃə/, with three syllables.
• ❌ Treating measure like a -ture word: «mea-chur». → ✅ measure is /ˈmeʒə/.
• ❌ Pronouncing mature like nature: «ma-chə». → ✅ mature is /məˈtʃʊə/, with a long vowel at the end.

Tips for practising

• Learn the ending as a block. Think of /tʃə/ as a single syllable, like a «cha» said without effort.
• Practise with lists. Say ten words in a row aloud (picture, nature, future, culture…) and notice that the ending sounds the same.
• Mind the stress. Before saying the word, find the stressed syllable: it is never -ture.
• Use the IPA. When a dictionary gives you a word in -ture, read the transcription and check that it ends in /tʃə/.
• Record yourself saying ten -ture words and compare with the audio of an online dictionary.

Frequently asked questions about -ture words

How is -ture pronounced in English?

As /tʃə/: a «ch» sound followed by a very short neutral vowel. It is the pronunciation of almost every word, such as picture, nature or future.

Why does -ture sound like «ch»?

Because /t/ followed by /j/ merges into /tʃ/, a very common process in English (actually, situation).

Is the -ture syllable stressed?

Never. The stress falls on an earlier syllable: ˈpicture, adˈventure.

Are there exceptions?

A few: mature, premature, immature and overture end in /tʃʊə/ instead of /tʃə/.

What is the difference between -ture and -sure?

-ture sounds /tʃə/ (picture) and -sure sounds /ʒə/ or /ʃə/ (measure, pressure). There is no /t/ in -sure.

-ture pronunciation exercises

Thirty sentences to check you’ve got it. Below you’ll find three interactive exercises that mark themselves, so you’ll know straight away how you did.

And if you prefer a version in text that you can copy and paste, you have it down here 👇

Exercise 1: choose the transcription

Choose the correct transcription for each word.

Exercise 2: odd one out

Choose the word whose ending sounds different.

Exercise 3: choose the word

Choose the word that fits each sentence.

Conclusion

To sum up in three ideas: -ture is pronounced /tʃə/ (a short «cha», with no «r» and no «tune» u) in almost every word; the -ture syllable is never stressed, the stress falls earlier (ˈpicture, adˈventure); and -sure is not -ture: it sounds /ʒə/ or /ʃə/ (measure, pressure), and mature and its relatives are the only exceptions.

If you want to keep going, my next suggestion is to revisit the English phonetics and IPA chart, where the symbols /tʃ/, /ʒ/ and /ə/ are explained.

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See you in the next post. Until then, don’t forget to keep smiling! 🙂