Pronunciation

How to pronounce “comparable

“comparable” is pronounced /ˈkɑmpɚəbəl/ (KOM-puh-ruh-buhl) in American English and /ˈkɒmpəɹəbəl/ in British English, and /kəmˈpɛɹəbəl/ and /kəmpɹəbəl/ are also accepted — 4 syllables, stressed on “com”.
The sound

Say “comparable” in 4 beats

Say it like this

comparable

/ˈkɑmpɚəbəl/

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

4 beats
  1. comkɑmstress
  2. par
  3. abə
  4. lebəl
IPA (American)
/ˈkɑmpɚəbəl/
IPA (British)
/ˈkɒmpəɹəbəl/
Also accepted
/kəmˈpɛɹəbəl/
Also accepted
/kəmpɹəbəl/
Respelling
KOM-puh-ruh-buhl
Syllables
4 — COM-par-ab-le
Stress
Stress the first syllable: COM-par-ab-le. “com” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Part of speech
adjective
Difficulty
Pro — the sounds are ordinary, the rhythm is where it slips
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˈkɑmpɚəbəl/

British

/ˈkɒmpəɹəbəl/

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

Also accepted

/kəmˈpɛɹəbəl/
Watch out

Where “comparable” goes wrong

  • Often heard

    com-PARE-uh-bul

    the stress is on the first syllable, unlike the verb compare

Meaning

What “comparable” means

  1. adjective

    able to be compared or worthy of comparison

  2. adjective

    conforming in every respect

    boxes with corresponding dimensions

Say it in a sentence

The two flats are comparable in size but not in price.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

7 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

comparable”, answered

How do you pronounce “comparable”?

“comparable” is pronounced /ˈkɑmpɚəbəl/ (KOM-puh-ruh-buhl) in American English and /ˈkɒmpəɹəbəl/ in British English, and /kəmˈpɛɹəbəl/ and /kəmpɹəbəl/ are also accepted — 4 syllables, stressed on “com”. Build it as COM-par-ab-le, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “comparable” have?

4: com · par · ab · le. The beat lands on the first, “com”.

Is “comparable” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈkɑmpɚəbəl/ (KOM-puh-ruh-buhl); British English says /ˈkɒmpəɹəbəl/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “comparable” mean?

As an adjective: able to be compared or worthy of comparison For example: “The two flats are comparable in size but not in price.” It carries 1 other sense as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “comparable”?

Stress the first syllable: COM-par-ab-le. “com” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “comparable” 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.