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Pronunciation

How to pronounce “council”

“council” is pronounced /ˈkaʊnsəl/ (KOWN-suhl) in American English and /kaʊnsəl/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “coun”.
The sound

Say “council” in 2 beats

Say it like this

council

/ˈkaʊnsəl/

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

2 beats
  1. counkaʊnstress
  2. cilsəl
IPA (American)
/ˈkaʊnsəl/
IPA (British)
/kaʊnsəl/
Respelling
KOWN-suhl
Syllables
2 — COUN-cil
Stress
Stress the first syllable: COUN-cil. “coun” 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

/ˈkaʊnsəl/

British

/kaʊnsəl/

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

Meaning

What “council” means

  1. noun

    a body serving in an administrative capacity

    “student council”

  2. noun

    (Christianity) an assembly of theologians and bishops and other representatives of different churches or dioceses that is convened to regulate matters of discipline or doctrine

  3. noun

    a meeting of people for consultation

    “emergency council”

Say it in a sentence

“The town council approved the new park last week.”
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

6 sounds, in the order you say them
kkaʊownnssəschwall

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

Questions

“council”, answered

How do you pronounce “council”?

“council” is pronounced /ˈkaʊnsəl/ (KOWN-suhl) in American English and /kaʊnsəl/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “coun”. Build it as COUN-cil, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “council” have?

2: coun · cil. The beat lands on the first, “coun”.

Is “council” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈkaʊnsəl/ (KOWN-suhl); British English says /kaʊnsəl/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “council” mean?

As a noun: a body serving in an administrative capacity For example: “student council” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “council”?

Stress the first syllable: COUN-cil. “coun” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “council” and see every sound

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