Pronunciation

How to pronounce “federal

“federal” is pronounced /ˈfɛdɚəl/ (FE-duh-uhl) in American English and /fɛdəɹəl/ in British English, and /ˈfɛdɹəl/ is also accepted — 3 syllables, stressed on “fed”.
The sound

Say “federal” in 3 beats

Say it like this

federal

/ˈfɛdɚəl/

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

3 beats
  1. fedstress
  2. er
  3. aləl
IPA (American)
/ˈfɛdɚəl/
IPA (British)
/fɛdəɹəl/
Also accepted
/ˈfɛdɹəl/
Respelling
FE-duh-uhl
Syllables
3 — FED-er-al
Stress
Stress the first syllable: FED-er-al. “fed” 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

/ˈfɛdɚəl/

British

/fɛdəɹəl/

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

Meaning

What “federal” means

  1. noun

    a member of the Union Army during the American Civil War

  2. noun

    any federal law-enforcement officer

  3. adjective

    national; especially in reference to the government of the United States as distinct from that of its member units

    the Federal Bureau of Investigation

Say it in a sentence

The federal government funded the new bridge across the river.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

5 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

federal”, answered

How do you pronounce “federal”?

“federal” is pronounced /ˈfɛdɚəl/ (FE-duh-uhl) in American English and /fɛdəɹəl/ in British English, and /ˈfɛdɹəl/ is also accepted — 3 syllables, stressed on “fed”. Build it as FED-er-al, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “federal” have?

3: fed · er · al. The beat lands on the first, “fed”.

Is “federal” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈfɛdɚəl/ (FE-duh-uhl); British English says /fɛdəɹəl/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “federal” mean?

As a noun: a member of the Union Army during the American Civil War For example: “The federal government funded the new bridge across the river.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “federal”?

Stress the first syllable: FED-er-al. “fed” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “federal” 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.