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Pronunciation

How to pronounce “essential”

“essential” is pronounced /ɛˈsɛnʃəl/ (e-SEN-shuhl) in American English and /ɪsɛnʃəl/ in British English, and /iˈsɛnʃəl/ is also accepted — 3 syllables, stressed on “sen”.
The sound

Say “essential” in 3 beats

Say it like this

essential

/ɛˈsɛnʃəl/

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

3 beats
  1. esɛ
  2. sensɛnstress
  3. tialʃəl
IPA (American)
/ɛˈsɛnʃəl/
IPA (British)
/ɪsɛnʃəl/
Also accepted
/iˈsɛnʃəl/
Respelling
e-SEN-shuhl
Syllables
3 — es-SEN-tial
Stress
Stress the second syllable: es-SEN-tial. “sen” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Part of speech
noun, adjective
Difficulty
Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ɛˈsɛnʃəl/

British

/ɪsɛnʃəl/

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

Meaning

What “essential” means

  1. noun

    anything indispensable

    “food and shelter are necessities of life”

  2. adjective

    absolutely necessary; vitally necessary

    “essential tools and materials”

  3. adjective

    basic and fundamental

    “the essential feature”

Say it in a sentence

“Good sleep is essential before any kind of examination.”
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

6 sounds, in the order you say them
ɛshort e×2ssnnʃshəschwall

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

Questions

“essential”, answered

How do you pronounce “essential”?

“essential” is pronounced /ɛˈsɛnʃəl/ (e-SEN-shuhl) in American English and /ɪsɛnʃəl/ in British English, and /iˈsɛnʃəl/ is also accepted — 3 syllables, stressed on “sen”. Build it as es-SEN-tial, then run the second syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “essential” have?

3: es · sen · tial. The beat lands on the second, “sen”.

Is “essential” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ɛˈsɛnʃəl/ (e-SEN-shuhl); British English says /ɪsɛnʃəl/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “essential” mean?

As a noun: anything indispensable For example: “food and shelter are necessities of life” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “essential”?

Stress the second syllable: es-SEN-tial. “sen” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “essential” and see every sound

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