How to pronounce “political”
Say “political” in 4 beats
political
/pəˈlɪtəkəl/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /pəlɪtɪkəl/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- polpə
- itlɪstress
- ictə
- alkəl
- IPA (American)
- /pəˈlɪtəkəl/
- IPA (British)
- /pəlɪtɪkəl/
- Also accepted
- /pəˈlɪtɪkəl/
- Respelling
- puh-LI-tuh-kuhl
- Syllables
- 4 — pol-IT-ic-al
- Stress
- Stress the second syllable: pol-IT-ic-al. “it” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
- Part of speech
- adjective
- Difficulty
- Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
American and British are not the same here
/pəˈlɪtəkəl/
/pəlɪtɪkəl/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
What “political” means
- adjective
involving or characteristic of politics or parties or politicians; - Daniel Goleman
“calling a meeting is a political act in itself”
- adjective
of or relating to your views about social relationships involving authority or power
“political opinions”
- adjective
of or relating to the profession of governing
“political career”
Say it in a sentence
“The debate quickly turned into a political argument.”“political”, answered
How do you pronounce “political”?
“political” is pronounced /pəˈlɪtəkəl/ (puh-LI-tuh-kuhl) in American English and /pəlɪtɪkəl/ in British English, and /pəˈlɪtɪkəl/ is also accepted — 4 syllables, stressed on “it”. Build it as pol-IT-ic-al, then run the second syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.
How many syllables does “political” have?
4: pol · it · ic · al. The beat lands on the second, “it”.
Is “political” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /pəˈlɪtəkəl/ (puh-LI-tuh-kuhl); British English says /pəlɪtɪkəl/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “political” mean?
As an adjective: involving or characteristic of politics or parties or politicians; - Daniel Goleman For example: “calling a meeting is a political act in itself” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.
Where is the stress in “political”?
Stress the second syllable: pol-IT-ic-al. “it” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Now say “political” 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.