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Pronunciation

How to pronounce “detrimental”

“detrimental” is pronounced /ˌdɛtɹəˈmɛntəl/ (de-truh-MEN-tuhl) in American English and /dɛtɹɪmɛntəl/ in British English, and /ˌdɛtɹəˈmɛnəl/ is also accepted — 4 syllables, stressed on “en”.
The sound

Say “detrimental” in 4 beats

Say it like this

detrimental

/ˌdɛtɹəˈmɛntəl/

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

4 beats
  1. detdɛ
  2. rimtɹə
  3. enmɛnstress
  4. taltəl
IPA (American)
/ˌdɛtɹəˈmɛntəl/
IPA (British)
/dɛtɹɪmɛntəl/
Also accepted
/ˌdɛtɹəˈmɛnəl/
Respelling
de-truh-MEN-tuhl
Syllables
4 — det-rim-EN-tal
Stress
Stress the third syllable: det-rim-EN-tal. “en” 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

/ˌdɛtɹəˈmɛntəl/

British

/dɛtɹɪmɛntəl/

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

Meaning

What “detrimental” means

  1. adjective

    (sometimes followed by `to') causing harm or injury

    “damaging to career and reputation”

Say it in a sentence

“Skipping breakfast turned out to be detrimental to her concentration.”
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

8 sounds, in the order you say them
ddɛshort e×2tt×2ɹrəschwa×2mmnnll

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

Questions

“detrimental”, answered

How do you pronounce “detrimental”?

“detrimental” is pronounced /ˌdɛtɹəˈmɛntəl/ (de-truh-MEN-tuhl) in American English and /dɛtɹɪmɛntəl/ in British English, and /ˌdɛtɹəˈmɛnəl/ is also accepted — 4 syllables, stressed on “en”. Build it as det-rim-EN-tal, then run the third syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “detrimental” have?

4: det · rim · en · tal. The beat lands on the third, “en”.

Is “detrimental” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˌdɛtɹəˈmɛntəl/ (de-truh-MEN-tuhl); British English says /dɛtɹɪmɛntəl/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “detrimental” mean?

As an adjective: (sometimes followed by `to') causing harm or injury For example: “damaging to career and reputation”

Where is the stress in “detrimental”?

Stress the third syllable: det-rim-EN-tal. “en” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

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