How to pronounce “alternative”
Say “alternative” in 4 beats
alternative
/ɔlˈtɝnətɪv/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /ɔːltɜːnətɪv/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- ɔlɔl
- tɝtɝstress
- nənə
- tɪvtɪv
- IPA (American)
- /ɔlˈtɝnətɪv/
- IPA (British)
- /ɔːltɜːnətɪv/
- Respelling
- awl-TUR-nuh-tiv
- Syllables
- 4 — ɔl-Tɝ-nə-tɪv
- Stress
- Stress the second syllable: ɔl-Tɝ-nə-tɪv. “tɝ” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
- Part of speech
- noun, adjective
- Difficulty
- Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
American and British are not the same here
/ɔlˈtɝnətɪv/
/ɔːltɜːnətɪv/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
What “alternative” means
- noun
one of a number of things from which only one can be chosen
“what option did I have?”
- adjective
serving or used in place of another
“an alternative plan”
- adjective
necessitating a choice between mutually exclusive possibilities
“alternative possibilities were neutrality or war”
Say it in a sentence
“Is there an alternative route that avoids the town centre?”“alternative”, answered
How do you pronounce “alternative”?
“alternative” is pronounced /ɔlˈtɝnətɪv/ (awl-TUR-nuh-tiv) in American English and /ɔːltɜːnətɪv/ in British English — 4 syllables, stressed on “tɝ”. Build it as ɔl-Tɝ-nə-tɪv, then run the second syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.
How many syllables does “alternative” have?
4: ɔl · tɝ · nə · tɪv. The beat lands on the second, “tɝ”.
Is “alternative” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /ɔlˈtɝnətɪv/ (awl-TUR-nuh-tiv); British English says /ɔːltɜːnətɪv/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “alternative” mean?
As a noun: one of a number of things from which only one can be chosen For example: “what option did I have?” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.
Where is the stress in “alternative”?
Stress the second syllable: ɔl-Tɝ-nə-tɪv. “tɝ” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Now say “alternative” 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.