Pronunciation

How to pronounce “annual

“annual” is pronounced /ˈænjuəl/ (A-nyoo-uhl) in American English and /anjuːəl/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “æ”.
The sound

Say “annual” in 3 beats

Say it like this

annual

/ˈænjuəl/

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

3 beats
  1. ææstress
  2. njunju
  3. ələl
IPA (American)
/ˈænjuəl/
IPA (British)
/anjuːəl/
Respelling
A-nyoo-uhl
Syllables
3 — Æ-nju-əl
Stress
Stress the first syllable: Æ-nju-əl. “æ” 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
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˈænjuəl/

British

/anjuːəl/

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

Meaning

What “annual” means

  1. noun

    (botany) a plant that completes its entire life cycle within the space of a year

  2. noun

    a reference book that is published regularly once every year

  3. adjective

    completing its life cycle within a year

    a border of annual flowering plants

Say it in a sentence

Sweet peas are an annual, so sow fresh seed each spring.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

6 sounds, in the order you say them

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

Questions

annual”, answered

How do you pronounce “annual”?

“annual” is pronounced /ˈænjuəl/ (A-nyoo-uhl) in American English and /anjuːəl/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “æ”. Build it as Æ-nju-əl, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “annual” have?

3: æ · nju · əl. The beat lands on the first, “æ”.

Is “annual” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈænjuəl/ (A-nyoo-uhl); British English says /anjuːəl/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “annual” mean?

As a noun: (botany) a plant that completes its entire life cycle within the space of a year For example: “Sweet peas are an annual, so sow fresh seed each spring.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “annual”?

Stress the first syllable: Æ-nju-əl. “æ” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “annual” 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.