Learners often say temperature as tem-per-ah-ture, carefully pronouncing every letter. Native speakers do the opposite: they squeeze the ending into a fast, blurry /ətʃər/, so the word drops a whole syllable.
Two things happen at once in this ending. The vowel weakens to a schwa /ə/, and the T combines with the U's /j/ glide to become a CH sound /tʃ/. Learn the pattern and a dozen big words get easier at the same time.
The Rule
When -ATURE is an unstressed ending, say it as /ətʃər/ ("uh-chur"): temperature = TEM-pruh-chur, literature = LIT-ruh-chur, signature = SIG-nuh-chur, furniture, miniature, legislature, agriculture, sculpture-style endings. The T becomes CH and the A becomes a soft uh.
See the Pattern in Action
| Word | Ending sound | Say it like |
|---|---|---|
| temperature /ˈtɛmprətʃər/ | /ətʃər/ | ...-uh-chur |
| literature /ˈlɪtrətʃər/ | /ətʃər/ | ...-uh-chur |
| signature /ˈsɪɡnətʃər/ | /ətʃər/ | ...-uh-chur |
| nature /ˈneɪtʃər/ | /tʃər/ (stressed) | NAY-chur |
Words to Practice
Common Exceptions
When the syllable before -ture carries the stress, the vowel stays strong but the T + U still makes CH: nature = NAY-chur /ˈneɪtʃər/, feature = FEE-chur /ˈfiːtʃər/, creature = CREE-chur, mature = muh-TURE. So the CH sound is constant across the whole -ture family; only the vowel before it changes with stress.
Quick Tips to Remember
Say the word fast and let the ending collapse into "chur." Count syllables: temperature and literature are three, not four. Read the -ature list, then the stressed -ture list, and practice your pronunciation.