Pronunciation

How to pronounce “capability

“capability” is pronounced /ˌkeɪpəˈbɪləti/ (kay-puh-BI-luh-tee) in American English and /keɪpəbɪlɪti/ in British English — 5 syllables, stressed on “il”.
The sound

Say “capability” in 5 beats

Say it like this

capability

/ˌkeɪpəˈbɪləti/

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

5 beats
  1. capkeɪ
  2. ab
  3. ilstress
  4. it
  5. yti
IPA (American)
/ˌkeɪpəˈbɪləti/
IPA (British)
/keɪpəbɪlɪti/
Respelling
kay-puh-BI-luh-tee
Syllables
5 — cap-ab-IL-it-y
Stress
Stress the third syllable: cap-ab-IL-it-y. “il” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Part of speech
noun
Difficulty
Pro — the sounds are ordinary, the rhythm is where it slips
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˌkeɪpəˈbɪləti/

British

/keɪpəbɪlɪti/

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

Meaning

What “capability” means

  1. noun

    the quality of being capable -- physically or intellectually or legally

    he worked to the limits of his capability

  2. noun

    the susceptibility of something to a particular treatment

    the capability of a metal to be fused

  3. noun

    an aptitude that may be developed

Say it in a sentence

The workshop has the capability to make every part in-house.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

9 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

capability”, answered

How do you pronounce “capability”?

“capability” is pronounced /ˌkeɪpəˈbɪləti/ (kay-puh-BI-luh-tee) in American English and /keɪpəbɪlɪti/ in British English — 5 syllables, stressed on “il”. Build it as cap-ab-IL-it-y, then run the third syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “capability” have?

5: cap · ab · il · it · y. The beat lands on the third, “il”.

Is “capability” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˌkeɪpəˈbɪləti/ (kay-puh-BI-luh-tee); British English says /keɪpəbɪlɪti/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “capability” mean?

As a noun: the quality of being capable -- physically or intellectually or legally For example: “he worked to the limits of his capability” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “capability”?

Stress the third syllable: cap-ab-IL-it-y. “il” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “capability” 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.