Pronunciation

How to pronounce “fundamental

“fundamental” is pronounced /ˌfʌndəˈmɛntəl/ (fun-duh-MEN-tuhl) in American English and /fʌndəmɛntəl/ in British English, and /ˌfʌndəˈmɛnəl/ is also accepted — 4 syllables, stressed on “en”.
The sound

Say “fundamental” in 4 beats

Say it like this

fundamental

/ˌfʌndəˈmɛntəl/

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

4 beats
  1. funfʌn
  2. dam
  3. enmɛnstress
  4. taltəl
IPA (American)
/ˌfʌndəˈmɛntəl/
IPA (British)
/fʌndəmɛntəl/
Also accepted
/ˌfʌndəˈmɛnəl/
Respelling
fun-duh-MEN-tuhl
Syllables
4 — fun-dam-EN-tal
Stress
Stress the third syllable: fun-dam-EN-tal. “en” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Part of speech
noun, adjective
Difficulty
Pro — the sounds are ordinary, the rhythm is where it slips
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˌfʌndəˈmɛntəl/

British

/fʌndəmɛntəl/

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

Meaning

What “fundamental” means

  1. noun

    any factor that could be considered important to the understanding of a particular business

    fundamentals include a company's growth, revenues, earnings, management, and capital structure

  2. noun

    the lowest tone of a harmonic series

  3. adjective

    serving as an essential component

    a cardinal rule

Say it in a sentence

Trust is a fundamental of any working partnership.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

9 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

fundamental”, answered

How do you pronounce “fundamental”?

“fundamental” is pronounced /ˌfʌndəˈmɛntəl/ (fun-duh-MEN-tuhl) in American English and /fʌndəmɛntəl/ in British English, and /ˌfʌndəˈmɛnəl/ is also accepted — 4 syllables, stressed on “en”. Build it as fun-dam-EN-tal, then run the third syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “fundamental” have?

4: fun · dam · en · tal. The beat lands on the third, “en”.

Is “fundamental” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˌfʌndəˈmɛntəl/ (fun-duh-MEN-tuhl); British English says /fʌndəmɛntəl/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “fundamental” mean?

As a noun: any factor that could be considered important to the understanding of a particular business For example: “fundamentals include a company's growth, revenues, earnings, management, and capital structure” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “fundamental”?

Stress the third syllable: fun-dam-EN-tal. “en” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “fundamental” 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.