sayitsayit
Pronunciation

How to pronounce “operational”

“operational” is pronounced /ˌɑpɚˈeɪʃənəl/ (ah-puh-AY-shuh-nuhl) in American English and /ɒpəɹeɪʃənəl/ in British English — 5 syllables, stressed on “at”.
The sound

Say “operational” in 5 beats

Say it like this

operational

/ˌɑpɚˈeɪʃənəl/

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

5 beats
  1. opɑ
  2. erpɚ
  3. ateɪstress
  4. ionʃə
  5. alnəl
IPA (American)
/ˌɑpɚˈeɪʃənəl/
IPA (British)
/ɒpəɹeɪʃənəl/
Respelling
ah-puh-AY-shuh-nuhl
Syllables
5 — op-er-AT-ion-al
Stress
Stress the third syllable: op-er-AT-ion-al. “at” 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

/ˌɑpɚˈeɪʃənəl/

British

/ɒpəɹeɪʃənəl/

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

Meaning

What “operational” means

  1. adjective

    pertaining to a process or series of actions for achieving a result

    “operational difficulties”

  2. adjective

    fit or ready for use or service

    “the toaster was still functional even after being dropped”

  3. adjective

    (military) of or intended for or involved in military operations

Say it in a sentence

“The new line becomes operational in early autumn.”
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

7 sounds, in the order you say them
ɑahppɚschwa×3eɪlong aʃshnnll

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

Questions

“operational”, answered

How do you pronounce “operational”?

“operational” is pronounced /ˌɑpɚˈeɪʃənəl/ (ah-puh-AY-shuh-nuhl) in American English and /ɒpəɹeɪʃənəl/ in British English — 5 syllables, stressed on “at”. Build it as op-er-AT-ion-al, then run the third syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “operational” have?

5: op · er · at · ion · al. The beat lands on the third, “at”.

Is “operational” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˌɑpɚˈeɪʃənəl/ (ah-puh-AY-shuh-nuhl); British English says /ɒpəɹeɪʃənəl/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “operational” mean?

As an adjective: pertaining to a process or series of actions for achieving a result For example: “operational difficulties” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “operational”?

Stress the third syllable: op-er-AT-ion-al. “at” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “operational” 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.

Practise this word freeMore words with O