The Cambridge EPD transcribes the word with only two syllables - i.e., no schwa. The LPD gives the schwa as optional. I think that I always pronounce the word with three syllables; it is difficult to be sure, unless one has access to a spectogram.
The schwa ə in bribery /braɪbəri/ is marked as an italic in some pronunciation symbol like "student /stu:dnt/" 's reduced sound between d and n.(Sorry, I can't find it on computer and post it here)
Do native speakers pronounce sometimes /braɪbəri/ (like ʌ)and sometimes /braɪbri/ (removed, zero sound) depending on their mood or is it a personal or regional difference?
In Korean, we also pronounce some words like /gəji/ meaning beggar as /gji/ with ə sound removed.
The Cambridge EPD transcribes the word with only two syllables - i.e., no schwa. The LPD gives the schwa as optional. I think that I always pronounce the word with three syllables; it is difficult to be sure, unless one has access to a spectogram.
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It was also difficult for me to choose either schwa-ed pronunciation or schwa-less one for so many words with schwa whenever I had to, so I always hesitated in some pronunciations. I couldn't explain it to Koreans well, either.
I can't also judge if schwa-ed or schwa-less pronunciation for some Korean words is right, but either might be okay as long as we can understand the meaning.
If asked in a formal context how many syllables the word "bribery" has, I would always answer "3". When I say it, it's more like 2.5 syllables! I know that's not possible but it really doesn't sound like the full three, yet it's not quite squashed up enough to only be two.
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Context is important. Please provide enough for us to be able to deal effectively with your question.
Your thread title should include all or part of the word/phrase being discussed.
If you just want to know the meaning of a word, try OneLook Dictionary Search first.
In any case, schwa before r is an almost unanswerable question, given that rhotic /r/ is almost a semi-vowel in character, in many regions. Schwa before a nasal is also a dicey thing to answer, since nasal consonants can be sustained, like vowels. So, it's very hard to say where schwa ends and /r/ or /n/ begin in these words.
I pronounce bribery with three syllables and a half-schwa half /r/ in the second syllable. The two-syllable pronunciation sounds almost impossibly posh, like a false RP.