Pronunciation

How to pronounce “mobile

“mobile” is pronounced /ˈmoʊbəl/ (MOH-buhl (UK MOH-byle)) in American English and /ˈməʊbaɪl/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “moʊ”.
The sound

Say “mobile” in 2 beats

Say it like this

mobile

/ˈmoʊbəl/

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

2 beats
  1. moʊmoʊstress
  2. bəlbəl
IPA (American)
/ˈmoʊbəl/
IPA (British)
/ˈməʊbaɪl/
Respelling
MOH-buhl (UK MOH-byle)
Syllables
2 — MOƱ-bəl
Stress
Stress the first syllable: MOƱ-bəl. “moʊ” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls 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

/ˈmoʊbəl/

British

/ˈməʊbaɪl/

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

Watch out

Where “mobile” goes wrong

  • Often heard

    one form is wrong

    American English ends in a reduced -buhl; British English ends in -byle.

Meaning

What “mobile” means

  1. noun

    a river in southwestern Alabama; flows into Mobile Bay

  2. noun

    a port in southwestern Alabama on Mobile Bay

  3. noun

    sculpture suspended in midair whose delicately balanced parts can be set in motion by air currents

Say it in a sentence

She left her mobile on the kitchen table again.
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

mobile”, answered

How do you pronounce “mobile”?

“mobile” is pronounced /ˈmoʊbəl/ (MOH-buhl (UK MOH-byle)) in American English and /ˈməʊbaɪl/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “moʊ”. Build it as MOƱ-bəl, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “mobile” have?

2: moʊ · bəl. The beat lands on the first, “moʊ”.

Is “mobile” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈmoʊbəl/ (MOH-buhl (UK MOH-byle)); British English says /ˈməʊbaɪl/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “mobile” mean?

As a noun: a river in southwestern Alabama; flows into Mobile Bay For example: “She left her mobile on the kitchen table again.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “mobile”?

Stress the first syllable: MOƱ-bəl. “moʊ” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “mobile” 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.