How to pronounce “differential”
Say “differential” in 4 beats
differential
/ˌdɪfɚˈɛnʃəl/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /dɪfəɹɛnʃəl/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- difdɪ
- ferfɚ
- enɛnstress
- tialʃəl
- IPA (American)
- /ˌdɪfɚˈɛnʃəl/
- IPA (British)
- /dɪfəɹɛnʃəl/
- Respelling
- di-fuh-EN-shuhl
- Syllables
- 4 — dif-fer-EN-tial
- Stress
- Stress the third syllable: dif-fer-EN-tial. “en” 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
American and British are not the same here
/ˌdɪfɚˈɛnʃəl/
/dɪfəɹɛnʃəl/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
What “differential” means
- noun
the result of mathematical differentiation; the instantaneous change of one quantity relative to another; df(x)/dx
- noun
a quality that differentiates between similar things
- noun
a bevel gear that permits rotation of two shafts at different speeds; used on the rear axle of automobiles to allow wheels to rotate at different speeds on curves
Say it in a sentence
“The differential gives the rate at which the tank empties.”“differential”, answered
How do you pronounce “differential”?
“differential” is pronounced /ˌdɪfɚˈɛnʃəl/ (di-fuh-EN-shuhl) in American English and /dɪfəɹɛnʃəl/ in British English — 4 syllables, stressed on “en”. Build it as dif-fer-EN-tial, then run the third syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.
How many syllables does “differential” have?
4: dif · fer · en · tial. The beat lands on the third, “en”.
Is “differential” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /ˌdɪfɚˈɛnʃəl/ (di-fuh-EN-shuhl); British English says /dɪfəɹɛnʃəl/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “differential” mean?
As a noun: the result of mathematical differentiation; the instantaneous change of one quantity relative to another; df(x)/dx For example: “The differential gives the rate at which the tank empties.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.
Where is the stress in “differential”?
Stress the third syllable: dif-fer-EN-tial. “en” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Now say “differential” 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.