How to pronounce “minimal”
Say “minimal” in 3 beats
minimal
/ˈmɪnəməl/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /mɪnɪməl/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- minmɪstress
- imnə
- alməl
- IPA (American)
- /ˈmɪnəməl/
- IPA (British)
- /mɪnɪməl/
- Respelling
- MI-nuh-muhl
- Syllables
- 3 — MIN-im-al
- Stress
- Stress the first syllable: MIN-im-al. “min” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
- Part of speech
- adjective
- Difficulty
- Pro — the sounds are ordinary, the rhythm is where it slips
American and British are not the same here
/ˈmɪnəməl/
/mɪnɪməl/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
What “minimal” means
- adjective
the least possible
“needed to enforce minimal standards”
Say it in a sentence
“The damage was minimal, considering how hard it fell.”“minimal”, answered
How do you pronounce “minimal”?
“minimal” is pronounced /ˈmɪnəməl/ (MI-nuh-muhl) in American English and /mɪnɪməl/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “min”. Build it as MIN-im-al, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.
How many syllables does “minimal” have?
3: min · im · al. The beat lands on the first, “min”.
Is “minimal” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /ˈmɪnəməl/ (MI-nuh-muhl); British English says /mɪnɪməl/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “minimal” mean?
As an adjective: the least possible For example: “needed to enforce minimal standards”
Where is the stress in “minimal”?
Stress the first syllable: MIN-im-al. “min” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Now say “minimal” 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.