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Pronunciation

How to pronounce “military”

“military” is pronounced /ˈmɪləˌtɛɹi/ (MI-luh-te-ree) in American English and /mɪlɪtəɹi/ in British English, and /ˈmɪlɪˌtɛɹi/ is also accepted — 4 syllables, stressed on “mil”.
The sound

Say “military” in 4 beats

Say it like this

military

/ˈmɪləˌtɛɹi/

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

4 beats
  1. milmɪstress
  2. itlə
  3. artɛ
  4. yɹi
IPA (American)
/ˈmɪləˌtɛɹi/
IPA (British)
/mɪlɪtəɹi/
Also accepted
/ˈmɪlɪˌtɛɹi/
Respelling
MI-luh-te-ree
Syllables
4 — MIL-it-ar-y
Stress
Stress the first syllable: MIL-it-ar-y. “mil” 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

/ˈmɪləˌtɛɹi/

British

/mɪlɪtəɹi/

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

Meaning

What “military” means

  1. noun

    the military forces of a nation

    “their military is the largest in the region”

  2. adjective

    of or relating to the study of the principles of warfare

    “military law”

  3. adjective

    characteristic of or associated with soldiers or the military

    “military uniforms”

Say it in a sentence

“His father spent thirty years in the military overseas.”
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

8 sounds, in the order you say them
mmɪshort illəschwattɛshort eɹrilong e

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

Questions

“military”, answered

How do you pronounce “military”?

“military” is pronounced /ˈmɪləˌtɛɹi/ (MI-luh-te-ree) in American English and /mɪlɪtəɹi/ in British English, and /ˈmɪlɪˌtɛɹi/ is also accepted — 4 syllables, stressed on “mil”. Build it as MIL-it-ar-y, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “military” have?

4: mil · it · ar · y. The beat lands on the first, “mil”.

Is “military” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈmɪləˌtɛɹi/ (MI-luh-te-ree); British English says /mɪlɪtəɹi/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “military” mean?

As a noun: the military forces of a nation For example: “their military is the largest in the region” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “military”?

Stress the first syllable: MIL-it-ar-y. “mil” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “military” and see every sound

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