How to pronounce “little”
Say “little” in 2 beats
little
/ˈlɪtəl/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /lɪtəl/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- littlɪstress
- letəl
- IPA (American)
- /ˈlɪtəl/
- IPA (British)
- /lɪtəl/
- Respelling
- LI-tuhl
- Syllables
- 2 — LITT-le
- Stress
- Stress the first syllable: LITT-le. “litt” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
- Part of speech
- noun, adjective, adverb
- Difficulty
- Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
American and British are not the same here
/ˈlɪtəl/
/lɪtəl/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
What “little” means
- noun
a small amount or duration
“he accepted the little they gave him”
- adjective
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
“a little dining room”
- adjective
(quantifier used with mass nouns) small in quantity or degree; not much or almost none or (with `a') at least some
“little rain fell in May”
Say it in a sentence
“There is very little food left in the cupboard.”“little”, answered
How do you pronounce “little”?
“little” is pronounced /ˈlɪtəl/ (LI-tuhl) in American English and /lɪtəl/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “litt”. Build it as LITT-le, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.
How many syllables does “little” have?
2: litt · le. The beat lands on the first, “litt”.
Is “little” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /ˈlɪtəl/ (LI-tuhl); British English says /lɪtəl/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “little” mean?
As a noun: a small amount or duration For example: “he accepted the little they gave him” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.
Where is the stress in “little”?
Stress the first syllable: LITT-le. “litt” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Now say “little” 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.