Pronunciation

How to pronounce “cosmopolitan

“cosmopolitan” is pronounced /ˌkɑzməˈpɑlətən/ (kahz-muh-PAH-luh-tuhn) in American English and /kɒzməpɒlɪtən/ in British English — 5 syllables, stressed on “ol”.
The sound

Say “cosmopolitan” in 5 beats

Say it like this

cosmopolitan

/ˌkɑzməˈpɑlətən/

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

5 beats
  1. coskɑz
  2. mop
  3. olstress
  4. it
  5. antən
IPA (American)
/ˌkɑzməˈpɑlətən/
IPA (British)
/kɒzməpɒlɪtən/
Respelling
kahz-muh-PAH-luh-tuhn
Syllables
5 — cos-mop-OL-it-an
Stress
Stress the third syllable: cos-mop-OL-it-an. “ol” 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

/ˌkɑzməˈpɑlətən/

British

/kɒzməpɒlɪtən/

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

Meaning

What “cosmopolitan” means

  1. noun

    a sophisticated person who has travelled in many countries

  2. adjective

    growing or occurring in many parts of the world

    a cosmopolitan herb

  3. adjective

    composed of people from or at home in many parts of the world; especially not provincial in attitudes or interests; - T.B. Macaulay

    his cosmopolitan benevolence impartially extended to all races and to all creeds

Say it in a sentence

Her uncle is a cosmopolitan who has lived in nine countries.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

9 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

cosmopolitan”, answered

How do you pronounce “cosmopolitan”?

“cosmopolitan” is pronounced /ˌkɑzməˈpɑlətən/ (kahz-muh-PAH-luh-tuhn) in American English and /kɒzməpɒlɪtən/ in British English — 5 syllables, stressed on “ol”. Build it as cos-mop-OL-it-an, then run the third syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “cosmopolitan” have?

5: cos · mop · ol · it · an. The beat lands on the third, “ol”.

Is “cosmopolitan” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˌkɑzməˈpɑlətən/ (kahz-muh-PAH-luh-tuhn); British English says /kɒzməpɒlɪtən/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “cosmopolitan” mean?

As a noun: a sophisticated person who has travelled in many countries For example: “Her uncle is a cosmopolitan who has lived in nine countries.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “cosmopolitan”?

Stress the third syllable: cos-mop-OL-it-an. “ol” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “cosmopolitan” 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.