Pronunciation

How to pronounce “caramel

“caramel” is pronounced /ˈkæɹəməl/ (KA-ruh-muhl) in American English and /ˈkaɹəmɛl/ in British English, and /ˈkɑɹməl/ is also accepted — 3 syllables, stressed on “car”.
The sound

Say “caramel” in 3 beats

Say it like this

caramel

/ˈkæɹəməl/

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

3 beats
  1. carstress
  2. amɹə
  3. elməl
IPA (American)
/ˈkæɹəməl/
IPA (British)
/ˈkaɹəmɛl/
Also accepted
/ˈkɑɹməl/
Respelling
KA-ruh-muhl
Syllables
3 — CAR-am-el
Stress
Stress the first syllable: CAR-am-el. “car” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Part of speech
noun, adjective
Difficulty
Pro — the sounds are ordinary, the rhythm is where it slips
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˈkæɹəməl/

British

/ˈkaɹəmɛl/

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

Also accepted

/ˈkɑɹməl/
Watch out

Where “caramel” goes wrong

  • Often heard

    CAR-mul

    three syllables in careful speech, though two is common in America

Meaning

What “caramel” means

  1. noun

    firm chewy candy made from caramelized sugar and butter and milk

  2. noun

    burnt sugar; used to color and flavor food

  3. noun

    a medium to dark tan color

Say it in a sentence

The sauce turns to caramel if you let the sugar darken.
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

caramel”, answered

How do you pronounce “caramel”?

“caramel” is pronounced /ˈkæɹəməl/ (KA-ruh-muhl) in American English and /ˈkaɹəmɛl/ in British English, and /ˈkɑɹməl/ is also accepted — 3 syllables, stressed on “car”. Build it as CAR-am-el, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “caramel” have?

3: car · am · el. The beat lands on the first, “car”.

Is “caramel” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈkæɹəməl/ (KA-ruh-muhl); British English says /ˈkaɹəmɛl/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “caramel” mean?

As a noun: firm chewy candy made from caramelized sugar and butter and milk For example: “The sauce turns to caramel if you let the sugar darken.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “caramel”?

Stress the first syllable: CAR-am-el. “car” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “caramel” 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.