Start with 'head', pronounce it as 'hed'.
Next, say 'quar' like 'kwor'.
Finish with 'ters', where 't' is light, followed by 'ərz'.
head-qua-ters
hed-quart-ers
had-kwart-ers
Start with 'head', pronounce it as 'hed'.
Next, say 'quar' like 'kwaw'.
Finish with 'ters', articulating a softer 't' followed by 'əz'.
head-qua-ters
hed-kwart-ers
had-kwaw-ters
The primary stress is on the first syllable: 'HEAD-quarters'.
Yes, but lightly in American English; more pronounced in British English.
Yes, 'quar' is 'kwor' in AmE, and 'kwaw' in BrE.
The main office or center of operations for an organization.
/hɛd/
Top part of the body
/ˈkwɔrtər/
One-fourth
/ˈhɛdʃɪp/
Position of leader
Headquarters has more syllables than 'head' and different stress.
The 'quar' sound in 'quarter' is integral to 'headquarters'.
'Headship' uses a different ending sound than 'headquarters'.
Practice emphasizing the first syllable to get the stress right.
Listen carefully to audio examples to distinguish subtle vowel differences between AmE and BrE.