Pronunciation

How to pronounce “environmental

“environmental” is pronounced /ɪnˌvaɪɹənˈmɛntəl/ (in-vy-ruhn-MEN-tuhl) in American English and /ɛnvaɪɹənmɛntəl/ in British English, and /ɪnˌvaɪɹənˈmɛnəl/ is also accepted — 5 syllables, stressed on “men”.
The sound

Say “environmental” in 5 beats

Say it like this

environmental

/ɪnˌvaɪɹənˈmɛntəl/

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

5 beats
  1. enɪn
  2. virvaɪ
  3. onɹən
  4. menmɛnstress
  5. taltəl
IPA (American)
/ɪnˌvaɪɹənˈmɛntəl/
IPA (British)
/ɛnvaɪɹənmɛntəl/
Also accepted
/ɪnˌvaɪɹənˈmɛnəl/
Respelling
in-vy-ruhn-MEN-tuhl
Syllables
5 — en-vir-on-MEN-tal
Stress
Stress the fourth syllable: en-vir-on-MEN-tal. “men” 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

/ɪnˌvaɪɹənˈmɛntəl/

British

/ɛnvaɪɹənmɛntəl/

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

Meaning

What “environmental” means

  1. adjective

    of or relating to the external conditions or surroundings

    environmental factors

  2. adjective

    concerned with the ecological effects of altering the environment

    environmental pollution

Say it in a sentence

The environmental report delayed the building work by a year.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

10 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

environmental”, answered

How do you pronounce “environmental”?

“environmental” is pronounced /ɪnˌvaɪɹənˈmɛntəl/ (in-vy-ruhn-MEN-tuhl) in American English and /ɛnvaɪɹənmɛntəl/ in British English, and /ɪnˌvaɪɹənˈmɛnəl/ is also accepted — 5 syllables, stressed on “men”. Build it as en-vir-on-MEN-tal, then run the fourth syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “environmental” have?

5: en · vir · on · men · tal. The beat lands on the fourth, “men”.

Is “environmental” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ɪnˌvaɪɹənˈmɛntəl/ (in-vy-ruhn-MEN-tuhl); British English says /ɛnvaɪɹənmɛntəl/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “environmental” mean?

As an adjective: of or relating to the external conditions or surroundings For example: “environmental factors” It carries 1 other sense as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “environmental”?

Stress the fourth syllable: en-vir-on-MEN-tal. “men” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “environmental” 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.