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Pronunciation

How to pronounce “overall”

“overall” is pronounced /ˈoʊvɚˌɔl/ (OH-vuh-awl) in American English and /əʊvəɹɔːl/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “ov”.
The sound

Say “overall” in 3 beats

Say it like this

overall

/ˈoʊvɚˌɔl/

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

3 beats
  1. ovoʊstress
  2. ervɚ
  3. allɔl
IPA (American)
/ˈoʊvɚˌɔl/
IPA (British)
/əʊvəɹɔːl/
Respelling
OH-vuh-awl
Syllables
3 — OV-er-all
Stress
Stress the first syllable: OV-er-all. “ov” 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
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˈoʊvɚˌɔl/

British

/əʊvəɹɔːl/

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

Meaning

What “overall” means

  1. noun

    (usually plural) work clothing consisting of denim trousers (usually with a bib and shoulder straps)

  2. noun

    a loose protective coverall or smock worn over ordinary clothing for dirty work

  3. adjective

    involving only main features

    “the overall pattern of his life”

Say it in a sentence

“He wore a paint-spattered overall over his good shirt.”
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

5 sounds, in the order you say them
oʊlong ovvɚschwaɔawll

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

Questions

“overall”, answered

How do you pronounce “overall”?

“overall” is pronounced /ˈoʊvɚˌɔl/ (OH-vuh-awl) in American English and /əʊvəɹɔːl/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “ov”. Build it as OV-er-all, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “overall” have?

3: ov · er · all. The beat lands on the first, “ov”.

Is “overall” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈoʊvɚˌɔl/ (OH-vuh-awl); British English says /əʊvəɹɔːl/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “overall” mean?

As a noun: (usually plural) work clothing consisting of denim trousers (usually with a bib and shoulder straps) For example: “He wore a paint-spattered overall over his good shirt.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “overall”?

Stress the first syllable: OV-er-all. “ov” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “overall” and see every sound

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