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Pronunciation

How to pronounce “mental”

“mental” is pronounced /ˈmɛntəl/ (MEN-tuhl) in American English and /mɛntəl/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “men”.
The sound

Say “mental” in 2 beats

Say it like this

mental

/ˈmɛntəl/

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

2 beats
  1. menmɛnstress
  2. taltəl
IPA (American)
/ˈmɛntəl/
IPA (British)
/mɛntəl/
Respelling
MEN-tuhl
Syllables
2 — MEN-tal
Stress
Stress the first syllable: MEN-tal. “men” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Part of speech
adjective
Difficulty
Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˈmɛntəl/

British

/mɛntəl/

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

Meaning

What “mental” means

  1. adjective

    involving the mind or an intellectual process

    “mental images of happy times”

  2. adjective

    of or relating to the mind

    “mental powers”

  3. adjective

    of or relating to the chin- or liplike structure in insects and certain mollusks

Say it in a sentence

“She keeps a mental list of everything the shed needs.”
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

6 sounds, in the order you say them
mmɛshort ennttəschwall

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

Questions

“mental”, answered

How do you pronounce “mental”?

“mental” is pronounced /ˈmɛntəl/ (MEN-tuhl) in American English and /mɛntəl/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “men”. Build it as MEN-tal, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “mental” have?

2: men · tal. The beat lands on the first, “men”.

Is “mental” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈmɛntəl/ (MEN-tuhl); British English says /mɛntəl/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “mental” mean?

As an adjective: involving the mind or an intellectual process For example: “mental images of happy times” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “mental”?

Stress the first syllable: MEN-tal. “men” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “mental” and see every sound

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