Pronunciation

How to pronounce “experimental

“experimental” is pronounced /ɪkˌspɛɹɪˈmɛntəl/ (ik-spe-ri-MEN-tuhl) in American English and /ɛkspɛɹɪmɛntəl/ in British English — 5 syllables, stressed on “en”.
The sound

Say “experimental” in 5 beats

Say it like this

experimental

/ɪkˌspɛɹɪˈmɛntəl/

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

5 beats
  1. exɪk
  2. perspɛ
  3. imɹɪ
  4. enmɛnstress
  5. taltəl
IPA (American)
/ɪkˌspɛɹɪˈmɛntəl/
IPA (British)
/ɛkspɛɹɪmɛntəl/
Respelling
ik-spe-ri-MEN-tuhl
Syllables
5 — ex-per-im-EN-tal
Stress
Stress the fourth syllable: ex-per-im-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

/ɪkˌspɛɹɪˈmɛntəl/

British

/ɛkspɛɹɪmɛntəl/

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

Meaning

What “experimental” means

  1. adjective

    relating to or based on experiment

    experimental physics

  2. adjective

    relying on observation or experiment

    experimental results that supported the hypothesis

  3. adjective

    of the nature of or undergoing an experiment

    an experimental drug

Say it in a sentence

The bakery runs an experimental sourdough on Thursday mornings.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

11 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

experimental”, answered

How do you pronounce “experimental”?

“experimental” is pronounced /ɪkˌspɛɹɪˈmɛntəl/ (ik-spe-ri-MEN-tuhl) in American English and /ɛkspɛɹɪmɛntəl/ in British English — 5 syllables, stressed on “en”. Build it as ex-per-im-EN-tal, then run the fourth syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “experimental” have?

5: ex · per · im · en · tal. The beat lands on the fourth, “en”.

Is “experimental” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ɪkˌspɛɹɪˈmɛntəl/ (ik-spe-ri-MEN-tuhl); British English says /ɛkspɛɹɪmɛntəl/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “experimental” mean?

As an adjective: relating to or based on experiment For example: “experimental physics” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “experimental”?

Stress the fourth syllable: ex-per-im-EN-tal. “en” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “experimental” 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.