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Pronunciation

How to pronounce “collateral”

“collateral” is pronounced /kəˈlætɚəl/ (kuh-LA-tuh-uhl) in American English and /kəlatəɹəl/ in British English — 4 syllables, stressed on “lat”.
The sound

Say “collateral” in 4 beats

Say it like this

collateral

/kəˈlætɚəl/

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

4 beats
  1. colkə
  2. latlæstress
  3. ertɚ
  4. aləl
IPA (American)
/kəˈlætɚəl/
IPA (British)
/kəlatəɹəl/
Respelling
kuh-LA-tuh-uhl
Syllables
4 — col-LAT-er-al
Stress
Stress the second syllable: col-LAT-er-al. “lat” 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

/kəˈlætɚəl/

British

/kəlatəɹəl/

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

Meaning

What “collateral” means

  1. noun

    a security pledged for the repayment of a loan

  2. adjective

    descended from a common ancestor but through different lines

    “cousins are collateral relatives”

  3. adjective

    serving to support or corroborate

    “collateral evidence”

Say it in a sentence

“The bank wanted the flat as collateral for the loan.”
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

5 sounds, in the order you say them
kkəschwa×3ll×2æshort att

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

Questions

“collateral”, answered

How do you pronounce “collateral”?

“collateral” is pronounced /kəˈlætɚəl/ (kuh-LA-tuh-uhl) in American English and /kəlatəɹəl/ in British English — 4 syllables, stressed on “lat”. Build it as col-LAT-er-al, then run the second syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “collateral” have?

4: col · lat · er · al. The beat lands on the second, “lat”.

Is “collateral” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /kəˈlætɚəl/ (kuh-LA-tuh-uhl); British English says /kəlatəɹəl/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “collateral” mean?

As a noun: a security pledged for the repayment of a loan For example: “The bank wanted the flat as collateral for the loan.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “collateral”?

Stress the second syllable: col-LAT-er-al. “lat” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

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