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Pronunciation

How to pronounce “especially”

“especially” is pronounced /ɪˈspɛʃəli/ (ih-SPESH-uh-lee), and /əˈspɛʃəli/ is also accepted — 4 syllables, stressed on “pec”.
The sound

Say “especially” in 4 beats

Say it like this

especially

/ɪˈspɛʃəli/

The voice you hear here is American; a British voice is available in the app's settings.

4 beats
  1. esɪ
  2. pecspɛstress
  3. ialʃə
  4. lyli
IPA (American)
/ɪˈspɛʃəli/
IPA (British)
/ɪˈspɛʃəli/
Also accepted
/əˈspɛʃəli/
Respelling
ih-SPESH-uh-lee
Syllables
4 — es-PEC-ial-ly
Stress
Stress the second syllable: es-PEC-ial-ly. “pec” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Part of speech
adverb
Difficulty
Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
Watch out

Where “especially” goes wrong

  • Often heard

    “EX-pecially”

    there is no x: the word begins es-, like especial

Meaning

What “especially” means

  1. adverb

    to a distinctly greater extent or degree than is common

    “he was particularly fussy about spelling”

  2. adverb

    in a special manner

    “a specially arranged dinner”

Say it in a sentence

“The garden is lovely, especially in the first week of June.”
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

8 sounds, in the order you say them
ɪshort issppɛshort eʃshəschwallilong e

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

Questions

“especially”, answered

How do you pronounce “especially”?

“especially” is pronounced /ɪˈspɛʃəli/ (ih-SPESH-uh-lee), and /əˈspɛʃəli/ is also accepted — 4 syllables, stressed on “pec”. Build it as es-PEC-ial-ly, then run the second syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “especially” have?

4: es · pec · ial · ly. The beat lands on the second, “pec”.

Is “especially” /ɪˈspɛʃəli/ or /əˈspɛʃəli/?

Both. /ɪˈspɛʃəli/ is the form dictionaries list first (ih-SPESH-uh-lee).

What does “especially” mean?

As an adverb: to a distinctly greater extent or degree than is common For example: “he was particularly fussy about spelling” It carries 1 other sense as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “especially”?

Stress the second syllable: es-PEC-ial-ly. “pec” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

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