How to pronounce “parallel”
Say “parallel” in 3 beats
parallel
/ˈpɛɹəˌlɛl/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /paɹəlɛl/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- parpɛstress
- alɹə
- lellɛl
- IPA (American)
- /ˈpɛɹəˌlɛl/
- IPA (British)
- /paɹəlɛl/
- Respelling
- PE-ruh-lel
- Syllables
- 3 — PAR-al-lel
- Stress
- Stress the first syllable: PAR-al-lel. “par” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
- Part of speech
- noun, verb, adjective
- Difficulty
- Pro — the sounds are ordinary, the rhythm is where it slips
American and British are not the same here
/ˈpɛɹəˌlɛl/
/paɹəlɛl/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
What “parallel” means
- noun
something having the property of being analogous to something else
- noun
an imaginary line around the Earth parallel to the equator
- noun
(mathematics) one of a set of parallel geometric figures (parallel lines or planes)
“parallels never meet”
Say it in a sentence
“There is a close parallel between the two floods.”The sounds inside this word
Each sound has its own page: where the tongue goes, what it is usually confused with, and words to drill it on.
“parallel”, answered
How do you pronounce “parallel”?
“parallel” is pronounced /ˈpɛɹəˌlɛl/ (PE-ruh-lel) in American English and /paɹəlɛl/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “par”. Build it as PAR-al-lel, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.
How many syllables does “parallel” have?
3: par · al · lel. The beat lands on the first, “par”.
Is “parallel” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /ˈpɛɹəˌlɛl/ (PE-ruh-lel); British English says /paɹəlɛl/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “parallel” mean?
As a noun: something having the property of being analogous to something else For example: “There is a close parallel between the two floods.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.
Where is the stress in “parallel”?
Stress the first syllable: PAR-al-lel. “par” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Now say “parallel” 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.