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Pronunciation

How to pronounce “controversial”

“controversial” is pronounced /ˌkɑntɹəˈvɝʃəl/ (kahn-truh-VUR-shuhl) in American English and /kɒntɹəvɜːʃəl/ in British English — 4 syllables, stressed on “er”.
The sound

Say “controversial” in 4 beats

Say it like this

controversial

/ˌkɑntɹəˈvɝʃəl/

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

4 beats
  1. contkɑn
  2. rovtɹə
  3. ervɝstress
  4. sialʃəl
IPA (American)
/ˌkɑntɹəˈvɝʃəl/
IPA (British)
/kɒntɹəvɜːʃəl/
Respelling
kahn-truh-VUR-shuhl
Syllables
4 — cont-rov-ER-sial
Stress
Stress the third syllable: cont-rov-ER-sial. “er” 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

/ˌkɑntɹəˈvɝʃəl/

British

/kɒntɹəvɜːʃəl/

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

Meaning

What “controversial” means

  1. adjective

    marked by or capable of arousing controversy

    “the issue of the death penalty is highly controversial”

Say it in a sentence

“The plan to close the pool proved deeply controversial.”
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

10 sounds, in the order you say them
kkɑahnnttɹrəschwa×2vvɝerʃshll

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

Questions

“controversial”, answered

How do you pronounce “controversial”?

“controversial” is pronounced /ˌkɑntɹəˈvɝʃəl/ (kahn-truh-VUR-shuhl) in American English and /kɒntɹəvɜːʃəl/ in British English — 4 syllables, stressed on “er”. Build it as cont-rov-ER-sial, then run the third syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “controversial” have?

4: cont · rov · er · sial. The beat lands on the third, “er”.

Is “controversial” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˌkɑntɹəˈvɝʃəl/ (kahn-truh-VUR-shuhl); British English says /kɒntɹəvɜːʃəl/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “controversial” mean?

As an adjective: marked by or capable of arousing controversy For example: “the issue of the death penalty is highly controversial”

Where is the stress in “controversial”?

Stress the third syllable: cont-rov-ER-sial. “er” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

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