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Pronunciation

How to pronounce “horizontal”

“horizontal” is pronounced /ˌhɔɹəˈzɑntəl/ (haw-ruh-ZAHN-tuhl) in American English and /hɒɹɪzɒntəl/ in British English — 4 syllables, stressed on “on”.
The sound

Say “horizontal” in 4 beats

Say it like this

horizontal

/ˌhɔɹəˈzɑntəl/

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

4 beats
  1. horhɔ
  2. izɹə
  3. onzɑnstress
  4. taltəl
IPA (American)
/ˌhɔɹəˈzɑntəl/
IPA (British)
/hɒɹɪzɒntəl/
Respelling
haw-ruh-ZAHN-tuhl
Syllables
4 — hor-iz-ON-tal
Stress
Stress the third syllable: hor-iz-ON-tal. “on” 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

/ˌhɔɹəˈzɑntəl/

British

/hɒɹɪzɒntəl/

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

Meaning

What “horizontal” means

  1. noun

    something that is oriented horizontally

  2. adjective

    parallel to or in the plane of the horizon or a base line

    “a horizontal surface”

Say it in a sentence

“Draw a horizontal across the page before you start.”
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

9 sounds, in the order you say them
hhɔawɹrəschwa×2zzɑahnnttll

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

Questions

“horizontal”, answered

How do you pronounce “horizontal”?

“horizontal” is pronounced /ˌhɔɹəˈzɑntəl/ (haw-ruh-ZAHN-tuhl) in American English and /hɒɹɪzɒntəl/ in British English — 4 syllables, stressed on “on”. Build it as hor-iz-ON-tal, then run the third syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “horizontal” have?

4: hor · iz · on · tal. The beat lands on the third, “on”.

Is “horizontal” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˌhɔɹəˈzɑntəl/ (haw-ruh-ZAHN-tuhl); British English says /hɒɹɪzɒntəl/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “horizontal” mean?

As a noun: something that is oriented horizontally For example: “Draw a horizontal across the page before you start.” It carries 1 other sense as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “horizontal”?

Stress the third syllable: hor-iz-ON-tal. “on” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “horizontal” and see every sound

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