How to pronounce “alter”
Say “alter” in 2 beats
alter
/ˈɔltɚ/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /ɒltə/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- alɔlstress
- tertɚ
- IPA (American)
- /ˈɔltɚ/
- IPA (British)
- /ɒltə/
- Respelling
- AWL-tuh
- Syllables
- 2 — AL-ter
- Stress
- Stress the first syllable: AL-ter. “al” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
- Part of speech
- verb
- Difficulty
- Pro — the sounds are ordinary, the rhythm is where it slips
American and British are not the same here
/ˈɔltɚ/
/ɒltə/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
What “alter” means
- verb
cause to change; make different; cause a transformation
“The advent of the automobile may have altered the growth pattern of the city”
- verb
become different in some particular way, without permanently losing one's or its former characteristics or essence
“her mood changes in accordance with the weather”
- verb
make an alteration to
“This dress needs to be altered”
Say it in a sentence
“Nothing you say now will alter what happened that night.”“alter”, answered
How do you pronounce “alter”?
“alter” is pronounced /ˈɔltɚ/ (AWL-tuh) in American English and /ɒltə/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “al”. Build it as AL-ter, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.
How many syllables does “alter” have?
2: al · ter. The beat lands on the first, “al”.
Is “alter” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /ˈɔltɚ/ (AWL-tuh); British English says /ɒltə/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “alter” mean?
As a verb: cause to change; make different; cause a transformation For example: “The advent of the automobile may have altered the growth pattern of the city” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.
Where is the stress in “alter”?
Stress the first syllable: AL-ter. “al” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Now say “alter” and see every sound
Record it once and sayit lines your audio up against the target sound by sound — what landed, what slipped, and what it sounded like instead.