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Pronunciation

How to pronounce “impossible”

“impossible” is pronounced /ˌɪmˈpɑsəbəl/ (im-PAH-suh-buhl) in American English and /ɪmpɒsɪbəl/ in British English — 4 syllables, stressed on “pos”.
The sound

Say “impossible” in 4 beats

Say it like this

impossible

/ˌɪmˈpɑsəbəl/

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

4 beats
  1. imɪm
  2. pospɑstress
  3. sibsə
  4. lebəl
IPA (American)
/ˌɪmˈpɑsəbəl/
IPA (British)
/ɪmpɒsɪbəl/
Respelling
im-PAH-suh-buhl
Syllables
4 — im-POS-sib-le
Stress
Stress the second syllable: im-POS-sib-le. “pos” 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

/ˌɪmˈpɑsəbəl/

British

/ɪmpɒsɪbəl/

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

Meaning

What “impossible” means

  1. noun

    something that cannot be done

    “his assignment verged on the impossible”

  2. adjective

    not capable of occurring or being accomplished or dealt with

    “an impossible dream”

  3. adjective

    totally unlikely

Say it in a sentence

“It felt impossible to finish the project by Friday.”
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

8 sounds, in the order you say them
ɪshort immppɑahssəschwa×2bbll

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

Questions

“impossible”, answered

How do you pronounce “impossible”?

“impossible” is pronounced /ˌɪmˈpɑsəbəl/ (im-PAH-suh-buhl) in American English and /ɪmpɒsɪbəl/ in British English — 4 syllables, stressed on “pos”. Build it as im-POS-sib-le, then run the second syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “impossible” have?

4: im · pos · sib · le. The beat lands on the second, “pos”.

Is “impossible” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˌɪmˈpɑsəbəl/ (im-PAH-suh-buhl); British English says /ɪmpɒsɪbəl/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “impossible” mean?

As a noun: something that cannot be done For example: “his assignment verged on the impossible” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “impossible”?

Stress the second syllable: im-POS-sib-le. “pos” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

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