How to pronounce “literally”
Say “literally” in 4 beats
literally
/ˈlɪtɚəli/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /ˈlɪtəɹəli/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- litlɪstress
- ertɚ
- alə
- lyli
- IPA (American)
- /ˈlɪtɚəli/
- IPA (British)
- /ˈlɪtəɹəli/
- Also accepted
- /ˈlɪtɹəli/
- Respelling
- LIT-ur-uh-lee
- Syllables
- 4 — LIT-er-al-ly
- Stress
- Stress the first syllable: LIT-er-al-ly. “lit” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
- Part of speech
- adverb
- Difficulty
- Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
American and British are not the same here
/ˈlɪtɚəli/
/ˈlɪtəɹəli/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
Where “literally” goes wrong
- Often heard
“LIT-ree”
four syllables in careful speech
What “literally” means
- adverb
in a literal sense
“literally translated”
- adverb
(intensifier before a figurative expression) without exaggeration
“our eyes were literally pinned to TV during the Gulf War”
Say it in a sentence
“He was so tired he literally fell asleep at the table.”“literally”, answered
How do you pronounce “literally”?
“literally” is pronounced /ˈlɪtɚəli/ (LIT-ur-uh-lee) in American English and /ˈlɪtəɹəli/ in British English, and /ˈlɪtɹəli/ is also accepted — 4 syllables, stressed on “lit”. Build it as LIT-er-al-ly, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.
How many syllables does “literally” have?
4: lit · er · al · ly. The beat lands on the first, “lit”.
Is “literally” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /ˈlɪtɚəli/ (LIT-ur-uh-lee); British English says /ˈlɪtəɹəli/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “literally” mean?
As an adverb: in a literal sense For example: “literally translated” It carries 1 other sense as well — all of them said the same way.
Where is the stress in “literally”?
Stress the first syllable: LIT-er-al-ly. “lit” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Now say “literally” 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.