Pronunciation

How to pronounce “metal

“metal” is pronounced /ˈmɛtəl/ (ME-tuhl) in American English and /mɛtəl/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “met”.
The sound

Say “metal” in 2 beats

Say it like this

metal

/ˈmɛtəl/

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

2 beats
  1. metstress
  2. altəl
IPA (American)
/ˈmɛtəl/
IPA (British)
/mɛtəl/
Respelling
ME-tuhl
Syllables
2 — MET-al
Stress
Stress the first syllable: MET-al. “met” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Part of speech
noun, verb, adjective
Difficulty
Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˈmɛtəl/

British

/mɛtəl/

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

Meaning

What “metal” means

  1. noun

    any of several chemical elements that are usually shiny solids that conduct heat or electricity and can be formed into sheets etc.

  2. noun

    a mixture containing two or more metallic elements or metallic and nonmetallic elements usually fused together or dissolving into each other when molten

    brass is an alloy of zinc and copper

  3. verb

    cover with metal

Say it in a sentence

The old gate was made of heavy, rusted metal.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

5 sounds, in the order you say them

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

Questions

metal”, answered

How do you pronounce “metal”?

“metal” is pronounced /ˈmɛtəl/ (ME-tuhl) in American English and /mɛtəl/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “met”. Build it as MET-al, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “metal” have?

2: met · al. The beat lands on the first, “met”.

Is “metal” said differently in British English?

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

What does “metal” mean?

As a noun: any of several chemical elements that are usually shiny solids that conduct heat or electricity and can be formed into sheets etc. For example: “The old gate was made of heavy, rusted metal.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “metal”?

Stress the first syllable: MET-al. “met” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “metal” 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.