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Pronunciation

How to pronounce “commercial”

“commercial” is pronounced /kəˈmɝʃəl/ (kuh-MUR-shuhl) in American English and /kəmɜːʃəl/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “mer”.
The sound

Say “commercial” in 3 beats

Say it like this

commercial

/kəˈmɝʃəl/

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

3 beats
  1. comkə
  2. mermɝstress
  3. cialʃəl
IPA (American)
/kəˈmɝʃəl/
IPA (British)
/kəmɜːʃəl/
Respelling
kuh-MUR-shuhl
Syllables
3 — com-MER-cial
Stress
Stress the second syllable: com-MER-cial. “mer” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Part of speech
noun, adjective
Difficulty
Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/kəˈmɝʃəl/

British

/kəmɜːʃəl/

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

Meaning

What “commercial” means

  1. noun

    a commercially sponsored ad on radio or television

  2. adjective

    connected with or engaged in or sponsored by or used in commerce or commercial enterprises

    “commercial trucker”

  3. adjective

    of or relating to commercialism

    “a commercial attache”

Say it in a sentence

“The company filmed a new commercial for the holidays.”
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

6 sounds, in the order you say them
kkəschwa×2mmɝerʃshll

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

Questions

“commercial”, answered

How do you pronounce “commercial”?

“commercial” is pronounced /kəˈmɝʃəl/ (kuh-MUR-shuhl) in American English and /kəmɜːʃəl/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “mer”. Build it as com-MER-cial, then run the second syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “commercial” have?

3: com · mer · cial. The beat lands on the second, “mer”.

Is “commercial” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /kəˈmɝʃəl/ (kuh-MUR-shuhl); British English says /kəmɜːʃəl/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “commercial” mean?

As a noun: a commercially sponsored ad on radio or television For example: “The company filmed a new commercial for the holidays.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “commercial”?

Stress the second syllable: com-MER-cial. “mer” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “commercial” and see every sound

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