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Pronunciation

How to pronounce “crucial”

“crucial” is pronounced /ˈkɹuʃəl/ (KROO-shuhl) in American English and /kɹuːʃəl/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “cruc”.
The sound

Say “crucial” in 2 beats

Say it like this

crucial

/ˈkɹuʃəl/

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

2 beats
  1. cruckɹustress
  2. ialʃəl
IPA (American)
/ˈkɹuʃəl/
IPA (British)
/kɹuːʃəl/
Respelling
KROO-shuhl
Syllables
2 — CRUC-ial
Stress
Stress the first syllable: CRUC-ial. “cruc” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls 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

/ˈkɹuʃəl/

British

/kɹuːʃəl/

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

Meaning

What “crucial” means

  1. adjective

    of extreme importance; vital to the resolution of a crisis

    “a crucial moment in his career”

  2. adjective

    having crucial relevance

    “crucial to the case”

  3. adjective

    of the greatest importance

    “the all-important subject of disarmament”

Say it in a sentence

“The next two weeks are crucial for the harvest.”
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

6 sounds, in the order you say them
kkɹrulong ooʃshəschwall

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

Questions

“crucial”, answered

How do you pronounce “crucial”?

“crucial” is pronounced /ˈkɹuʃəl/ (KROO-shuhl) in American English and /kɹuːʃəl/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “cruc”. Build it as CRUC-ial, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “crucial” have?

2: cruc · ial. The beat lands on the first, “cruc”.

Is “crucial” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈkɹuʃəl/ (KROO-shuhl); British English says /kɹuːʃəl/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “crucial” mean?

As an adjective: of extreme importance; vital to the resolution of a crisis For example: “a crucial moment in his career” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “crucial”?

Stress the first syllable: CRUC-ial. “cruc” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.

Practise this word

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