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Pronunciation

How to pronounce “artificial”

“artificial” is pronounced /ˌɑɹtəˈfɪʃəl/ (ahr-tuh-FI-shuhl) in American English and /ɑːtɪfɪʃəl/ in British English — 4 syllables, stressed on “ic”.
The sound

Say “artificial” in 4 beats

Say it like this

artificial

/ˌɑɹtəˈfɪʃəl/

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

4 beats
  1. arɑɹ
  2. tiftə
  3. icfɪstress
  4. ialʃəl
IPA (American)
/ˌɑɹtəˈfɪʃəl/
IPA (British)
/ɑːtɪfɪʃəl/
Respelling
ahr-tuh-FI-shuhl
Syllables
4 — ar-tif-IC-ial
Stress
Stress the third syllable: ar-tif-IC-ial. “ic” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Part of speech
adjective
Difficulty
Pro — the sounds are ordinary, the rhythm is where it slips
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˌɑɹtəˈfɪʃəl/

British

/ɑːtɪfɪʃəl/

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

Meaning

What “artificial” means

  1. adjective

    contrived by art rather than nature

    “artificial flowers”

  2. adjective

    artificially formal

    “that artificial humility that her husband hated”

  3. adjective

    not arising from natural growth or characterized by vital processes

Say it in a sentence

“The lake is artificial but the birds do not seem to mind.”
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

8 sounds, in the order you say them
ɑahɹrttəschwa×2ffɪshort iʃshll

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

Questions

“artificial”, answered

How do you pronounce “artificial”?

“artificial” is pronounced /ˌɑɹtəˈfɪʃəl/ (ahr-tuh-FI-shuhl) in American English and /ɑːtɪfɪʃəl/ in British English — 4 syllables, stressed on “ic”. Build it as ar-tif-IC-ial, then run the third syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “artificial” have?

4: ar · tif · ic · ial. The beat lands on the third, “ic”.

Is “artificial” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˌɑɹtəˈfɪʃəl/ (ahr-tuh-FI-shuhl); British English says /ɑːtɪfɪʃəl/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “artificial” mean?

As an adjective: contrived by art rather than nature For example: “artificial flowers” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “artificial”?

Stress the third syllable: ar-tif-IC-ial. “ic” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

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