Pronunciation

How to pronounce “obsolete

“obsolete” is pronounced /ˈɑbsəˌlit/ (AHB-suh-leet) in American English and /ɒbsəliːt/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “ɑb”.
The sound

Say “obsolete” in 3 beats

Say it like this

obsolete

/ˈɑbsəˌlit/

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

3 beats
  1. ɑbɑbstress
  2. litlit
IPA (American)
/ˈɑbsəˌlit/
IPA (British)
/ɒbsəliːt/
Respelling
AHB-suh-leet
Syllables
3 — ⱭB-sə-lit
Stress
Stress the first syllable: ⱭB-sə-lit. “ɑb” 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
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˈɑbsəˌlit/

British

/ɒbsəliːt/

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

Meaning

What “obsolete” means

  1. adjective

    no longer in use

    obsolete words

Say it in a sentence

That charger became obsolete about four years ago.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

7 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

obsolete”, answered

How do you pronounce “obsolete”?

“obsolete” is pronounced /ˈɑbsəˌlit/ (AHB-suh-leet) in American English and /ɒbsəliːt/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “ɑb”. Build it as ⱭB-sə-lit, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “obsolete” have?

3: ɑb · sə · lit. The beat lands on the first, “ɑb”.

Is “obsolete” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈɑbsəˌlit/ (AHB-suh-leet); British English says /ɒbsəliːt/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “obsolete” mean?

As an adjective: no longer in use For example: “obsolete words”

Where is the stress in “obsolete”?

Stress the first syllable: ⱭB-sə-lit. “ɑb” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “obsolete” 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.