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Pronunciation

How to pronounce “adult”

“adult” is pronounced /əˈdʌlt/ (uh-DULT) in American English and /adʌlt/ in British English, and /ˈædəlt/ is also accepted — 2 syllables, stressed on “ult”.
The sound

Say “adult” in 2 beats

Say it like this

adult

/əˈdʌlt/

The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /adʌlt/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.

2 beats
  1. adə
  2. ultdʌltstress
IPA (American)
/əˈdʌlt/
IPA (British)
/adʌlt/
Also accepted
/ˈædəlt/
Respelling
uh-DULT
Syllables
2 — ad-ULT
Stress
Stress the second syllable: ad-ULT. “ult” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Part of speech
noun, adjective
Difficulty
Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/əˈdʌlt/

British

/adʌlt/

No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.

Meaning

What “adult” means

  1. noun

    a fully developed person from maturity onward

  2. noun

    any mature animal

  3. adjective

    (of animals) fully developed

    “an adult animal”

Say it in a sentence

“Every adult in the room remembered the flood of that year.”
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

5 sounds, in the order you say them
əschwaddʌshort ulltt

Each sound has its own page: where the tongue goes, what it is usually confused with, and words to drill it on.

Questions

“adult”, answered

How do you pronounce “adult”?

“adult” is pronounced /əˈdʌlt/ (uh-DULT) in American English and /adʌlt/ in British English, and /ˈædəlt/ is also accepted — 2 syllables, stressed on “ult”. Build it as ad-ULT, then run the second syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “adult” have?

2: ad · ult. The beat lands on the second, “ult”.

Is “adult” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /əˈdʌlt/ (uh-DULT); British English says /adʌlt/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “adult” mean?

As a noun: a fully developed person from maturity onward For example: “Every adult in the room remembered the flood of that year.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “adult”?

Stress the second syllable: ad-ULT. “ult” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.

Practise this word

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