Pronunciation

How to pronounce “gradual

“gradual” is pronounced /ˈɡɹædʒuəl/ (GRA-joo-uhl) in American English and /ɡɹadʒuːəl/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “ɡɹæ”.
The sound

Say “gradual” in 3 beats

Say it like this

gradual

/ˈɡɹædʒuəl/

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

3 beats
  1. ɡɹæɡɹæstress
  2. dʒudʒu
  3. ələl
IPA (American)
/ˈɡɹædʒuəl/
IPA (British)
/ɡɹadʒuːəl/
Respelling
GRA-joo-uhl
Syllables
3 — ꞬɹÆ-dʒu-əl
Stress
Stress the first syllable: ꞬɹÆ-dʒu-əl. “ɡɹæ” 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

/ˈɡɹædʒuəl/

British

/ɡɹadʒuːəl/

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

Meaning

What “gradual” means

  1. noun

    (Roman Catholic Church) an antiphon (usually from the Book of Psalms) immediately after the epistle at Mass

  2. adjective

    proceeding in small stages

    a gradual increase in prices

  3. adjective

    (of a topographical gradient) not steep or abrupt

    a gradual slope

Say it in a sentence

There was a gradual shift towards working from home.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

7 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

gradual”, answered

How do you pronounce “gradual”?

“gradual” is pronounced /ˈɡɹædʒuəl/ (GRA-joo-uhl) in American English and /ɡɹadʒuːəl/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “ɡɹæ”. Build it as ꞬɹÆ-dʒu-əl, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “gradual” have?

3: ɡɹæ · dʒu · əl. The beat lands on the first, “ɡɹæ”.

Is “gradual” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈɡɹædʒuəl/ (GRA-joo-uhl); British English says /ɡɹadʒuːəl/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “gradual” mean?

As a noun: (Roman Catholic Church) an antiphon (usually from the Book of Psalms) immediately after the epistle at Mass For example: “There was a gradual shift towards working from home.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “gradual”?

Stress the first syllable: ꞬɹÆ-dʒu-əl. “ɡɹæ” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “gradual” and see every sound

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