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Pronunciation

How to pronounce “medical”

“medical” is pronounced /ˈmɛdəkəl/ (ME-duh-kuhl) in American English and /mɛdɪkəl/ in British English, and /ˈmɛdɪkəl/ is also accepted — 3 syllables, stressed on “med”.
The sound

Say “medical” in 3 beats

Say it like this

medical

/ˈmɛdəkəl/

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

3 beats
  1. medmɛstress
  2. icdə
  3. alkəl
IPA (American)
/ˈmɛdəkəl/
IPA (British)
/mɛdɪkəl/
Also accepted
/ˈmɛdɪkəl/
Respelling
ME-duh-kuhl
Syllables
3 — MED-ic-al
Stress
Stress the first syllable: MED-ic-al. “med” 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

/ˈmɛdəkəl/

British

/mɛdɪkəl/

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

Meaning

What “medical” means

  1. noun

    a thorough physical examination; includes a variety of tests depending on the age and sex and health of the person

  2. adjective

    relating to the study or practice of medicine

    “the medical profession”

  3. adjective

    requiring or amenable to treatment by medicine especially as opposed to surgery

    “medical treatment”

Say it in a sentence

“He passed his medical and starts on the boats on Monday.”
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

6 sounds, in the order you say them
mmɛshort eddəschwa×2kkll

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

Questions

“medical”, answered

How do you pronounce “medical”?

“medical” is pronounced /ˈmɛdəkəl/ (ME-duh-kuhl) in American English and /mɛdɪkəl/ in British English, and /ˈmɛdɪkəl/ is also accepted — 3 syllables, stressed on “med”. Build it as MED-ic-al, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “medical” have?

3: med · ic · al. The beat lands on the first, “med”.

Is “medical” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈmɛdəkəl/ (ME-duh-kuhl); British English says /mɛdɪkəl/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “medical” mean?

As a noun: a thorough physical examination; includes a variety of tests depending on the age and sex and health of the person For example: “He passed his medical and starts on the boats on Monday.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “medical”?

Stress the first syllable: MED-ic-al. “med” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “medical” and see every sound

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