Contemporary (pronunciation)

The adjective (which is also used substantively - see also contemporaneous - contemporary - contemporary, with its adverb contemporarily, can give difficulty with its pronunciation - as indeed can temporary and temporarily.

• It is written with five syllables, con- + -tem- + -por- + -ar- + -y.
  • Careful speakers, speaking carefully, realize all five, with the stress on the second ({IPA|kɒn 'tɛm pə rə rɪ}}.
  • A realization with four syllables, 'con-TEMP-or-y', {IPA|kɒn 'tɛm pə rɪ}} is also common, even in formal educational contexts.
  • In careless, rushed or casual colloquial speech, this is often further reduced to three syllables: 'con-TEMP-ry', {IPA|kɒn 'tɛm prɪ}}.
    • The same, broadly, is true of the adverb contemporarily - with an extra final syllable -ly in all cases.

You may also want to see AWE's articles about

its meaning and usage, at contemporaneous - contemporary.

its spelling, which can give difficulty, at Temporary - Contemporary (spelling).