Pronunciation

How to pronounce “cultural

“cultural” is pronounced /ˈkʌltʃɚəl/ (KUL-chuh-uhl) in American English and /kʌltʃəɹəl/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “cul”.
The sound

Say “cultural” in 3 beats

Say it like this

cultural

/ˈkʌltʃɚəl/

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

3 beats
  1. culkʌlstress
  2. turtʃɚ
  3. aləl
IPA (American)
/ˈkʌltʃɚəl/
IPA (British)
/kʌltʃəɹəl/
Respelling
KUL-chuh-uhl
Syllables
3 — CUL-tur-al
Stress
Stress the first syllable: CUL-tur-al. “cul” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Part of speech
adjective
Difficulty
Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˈkʌltʃɚəl/

British

/kʌltʃəɹəl/

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

Meaning

What “cultural” means

  1. adjective

    of or relating to the arts and manners that a group favors

    cultural events

  2. adjective

    denoting or deriving from or distinctive of the ways of living built up by a group of people; - J.F.Kennedy

    influenced by ethnic and cultural ties

  3. adjective

    of or relating to the shared knowledge and values of a society

    cultural roots

Say it in a sentence

The festival has become an important cultural event for the region.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

5 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

cultural”, answered

How do you pronounce “cultural”?

“cultural” is pronounced /ˈkʌltʃɚəl/ (KUL-chuh-uhl) in American English and /kʌltʃəɹəl/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “cul”. Build it as CUL-tur-al, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “cultural” have?

3: cul · tur · al. The beat lands on the first, “cul”.

Is “cultural” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈkʌltʃɚəl/ (KUL-chuh-uhl); British English says /kʌltʃəɹəl/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “cultural” mean?

As an adjective: of or relating to the arts and manners that a group favors For example: “cultural events” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “cultural”?

Stress the first syllable: CUL-tur-al. “cul” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “cultural” 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.