How to pronounce “official”
Say “official” in 3 beats
official
/əˈfɪʃəl/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /əfɪʃəl/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- ofə
- ficfɪstress
- ialʃəl
- IPA (American)
- /əˈfɪʃəl/
- IPA (British)
- /əfɪʃəl/
- Respelling
- uh-FI-shuhl
- Syllables
- 3 — of-FIC-ial
- Stress
- Stress the second syllable: of-FIC-ial. “fic” 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
American and British are not the same here
/əˈfɪʃəl/
/əfɪʃəl/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
What “official” means
- noun
a worker who holds or is invested with an office
- noun
someone who administers the rules of a game or sport
“the golfer asked for an official who could give him a ruling”
- adjective
having official authority or sanction
“official permission”
Say it in a sentence
“The official results won't be announced until next week.”“official”, answered
How do you pronounce “official”?
“official” is pronounced /əˈfɪʃəl/ (uh-FI-shuhl) in American English and /əfɪʃəl/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “fic”. Build it as of-FIC-ial, then run the second syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.
How many syllables does “official” have?
3: of · fic · ial. The beat lands on the second, “fic”.
Is “official” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /əˈfɪʃəl/ (uh-FI-shuhl); British English says /əfɪʃəl/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “official” mean?
As a noun: a worker who holds or is invested with an office For example: “The official results won't be announced until next week.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.
Where is the stress in “official”?
Stress the second syllable: of-FIC-ial. “fic” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Now say “official” 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.