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Pronunciation

How to pronounce “neutral”

“neutral” is pronounced /ˈnutɹəl/ (NOO-truhl) in American English and /njuːtɹəl/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “neut”.
The sound

Say “neutral” in 2 beats

Say it like this

neutral

/ˈnutɹəl/

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

2 beats
  1. neutnustress
  2. raltɹəl
IPA (American)
/ˈnutɹəl/
IPA (British)
/njuːtɹəl/
Respelling
NOO-truhl
Syllables
2 — NEUT-ral
Stress
Stress the first syllable: NEUT-ral. “neut” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Part of speech
noun, adjective
Difficulty
Pro — the sounds are ordinary, the rhythm is where it slips
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˈnutɹəl/

British

/njuːtɹəl/

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

Meaning

What “neutral” means

  1. noun

    one who does not side with any party in a war or dispute

  2. adjective

    having no personal preference

    “impersonal criticism”

  3. adjective

    having only a limited ability to react chemically; chemically inactive

    “inert matter”

Say it in a sentence

“She stayed neutral while her brothers argued about the car.”
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

6 sounds, in the order you say them
nnulong oottɹrəschwall

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

Questions

“neutral”, answered

How do you pronounce “neutral”?

“neutral” is pronounced /ˈnutɹəl/ (NOO-truhl) in American English and /njuːtɹəl/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “neut”. Build it as NEUT-ral, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “neutral” have?

2: neut · ral. The beat lands on the first, “neut”.

Is “neutral” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈnutɹəl/ (NOO-truhl); British English says /njuːtɹəl/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “neutral” mean?

As a noun: one who does not side with any party in a war or dispute For example: “She stayed neutral while her brothers argued about the car.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “neutral”?

Stress the first syllable: NEUT-ral. “neut” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.

Practise this word

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