Pronunciation

How to pronounce “college

“college” is pronounced /ˈkɑlɪdʒ/ (KAH-lij) in American English and /kɒlɪdʒ/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “kɑ”.
The sound

Say “college” in 2 beats

Say it like this

college

/ˈkɑlɪdʒ/

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

2 beats
  1. stress
  2. lɪdʒlɪdʒ
IPA (American)
/ˈkɑlɪdʒ/
IPA (British)
/kɒlɪdʒ/
Respelling
KAH-lij
Syllables
2 — KⱭ-lɪdʒ
Stress
Stress the first syllable: KⱭ-lɪdʒ. “kɑ” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Part of speech
noun
Difficulty
Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˈkɑlɪdʒ/

British

/kɒlɪdʒ/

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

Meaning

What “college” means

  1. noun

    the body of faculty and students of a college

  2. noun

    an institution of higher education created to educate and grant degrees; often a part of a university

  3. noun

    a complex of buildings in which an institution of higher education is housed

Say it in a sentence

She studied biology at college before becoming a nurse.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

5 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

college”, answered

How do you pronounce “college”?

“college” is pronounced /ˈkɑlɪdʒ/ (KAH-lij) in American English and /kɒlɪdʒ/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “kɑ”. Build it as KⱭ-lɪdʒ, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “college” have?

2: kɑ · lɪdʒ. The beat lands on the first, “kɑ”.

Is “college” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈkɑlɪdʒ/ (KAH-lij); British English says /kɒlɪdʒ/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “college” mean?

As a noun: the body of faculty and students of a college For example: “She studied biology at college before becoming a nurse.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “college”?

Stress the first syllable: KⱭ-lɪdʒ. “kɑ” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “college” and see every sound

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