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Pronunciation

How to pronounce “available”

“available” is pronounced /əˈveɪləbəl/ (uh-VAY-luh-buhl) in American English and /ɐveɪləbəl/ in British English — 4 syllables, stressed on “ail”.
The sound

Say “available” in 4 beats

Say it like this

available

/əˈveɪləbəl/

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

4 beats
  1. avə
  2. ailveɪstress
  3. ablə
  4. lebəl
IPA (American)
/əˈveɪləbəl/
IPA (British)
/ɐveɪləbəl/
Respelling
uh-VAY-luh-buhl
Syllables
4 — av-AIL-ab-le
Stress
Stress the second syllable: av-AIL-ab-le. “ail” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Part of speech
adjective
Difficulty
Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/əˈveɪləbəl/

British

/ɐveɪləbəl/

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

Meaning

What “available” means

  1. adjective

    obtainable or accessible and ready for use or service

    “kept a fire extinguisher available”

  2. adjective

    not busy; not otherwise committed

    “he was not available for comment”

  3. adjective

    convenient for use or disposal

    “the house is available after July 1”

Say it in a sentence

“No seats were available on the last train home.”
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

5 sounds, in the order you say them
əschwa×3vveɪlong all×2bb

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

Questions

“available”, answered

How do you pronounce “available”?

“available” is pronounced /əˈveɪləbəl/ (uh-VAY-luh-buhl) in American English and /ɐveɪləbəl/ in British English — 4 syllables, stressed on “ail”. Build it as av-AIL-ab-le, then run the second syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “available” have?

4: av · ail · ab · le. The beat lands on the second, “ail”.

Is “available” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /əˈveɪləbəl/ (uh-VAY-luh-buhl); British English says /ɐveɪləbəl/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “available” mean?

As an adjective: obtainable or accessible and ready for use or service For example: “kept a fire extinguisher available” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “available”?

Stress the second syllable: av-AIL-ab-le. “ail” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “available” and see every sound

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