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Pronunciation

How to pronounce “personal”

“personal” is pronounced /ˈpɝsənəl/ (PUR-suh-nuhl) in American English and /ˈpɜːsənəl/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “per”.
The sound

Say “personal” in 3 beats

Say it like this

personal

/ˈpɝsənəl/

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

3 beats
  1. perpɝstress
  2. sonsə
  3. alnəl
IPA (American)
/ˈpɝsənəl/
IPA (British)
/ˈpɜːsənəl/
Respelling
PUR-suh-nuhl
Syllables
3 — PER-son-al
Stress
Stress the first syllable: PER-son-al. “per” 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

/ˈpɝsənəl/

British

/ˈpɜːsənəl/

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

Watch out

Where “personal” goes wrong

  • Often heard

    “pur-suh-NEL”

    the stress is first; personnel stresses the last syllable

Meaning

What “personal” means

  1. noun

    a short newspaper article about a particular person or group

  2. adjective

    concerning or affecting a particular person or his or her private life and personality

    “a personal favor”

  3. adjective

    particular to a given individual

Say it in a sentence

“She keeps her personal and work calendars completely separate.”
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

6 sounds, in the order you say them
ppɝerssəschwa×2nnll

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

Questions

“personal”, answered

How do you pronounce “personal”?

“personal” is pronounced /ˈpɝsənəl/ (PUR-suh-nuhl) in American English and /ˈpɜːsənəl/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “per”. Build it as PER-son-al, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “personal” have?

3: per · son · al. The beat lands on the first, “per”.

Is “personal” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈpɝsənəl/ (PUR-suh-nuhl); British English says /ˈpɜːsənəl/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “personal” mean?

As a noun: a short newspaper article about a particular person or group For example: “She keeps her personal and work calendars completely separate.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “personal”?

Stress the first syllable: PER-son-al. “per” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “personal” and see every sound

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