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Pronunciation

How to pronounce “potential”

“potential” is pronounced /pəˈtɛnʃəl/ (puh-TEN-shuhl) in American English and /pətɛnʃəl/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “en”.
The sound

Say “potential” in 3 beats

Say it like this

potential

/pəˈtɛnʃəl/

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

3 beats
  1. potpə
  2. entɛnstress
  3. tialʃəl
IPA (American)
/pəˈtɛnʃəl/
IPA (British)
/pətɛnʃəl/
Respelling
puh-TEN-shuhl
Syllables
3 — pot-EN-tial
Stress
Stress the second syllable: pot-EN-tial. “en” 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

/pəˈtɛnʃəl/

British

/pətɛnʃəl/

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

Meaning

What “potential” means

  1. noun

    the inherent capacity for coming into being

  2. noun

    the difference in electrical charge between two points in a circuit expressed in volts

  3. adjective

    existing in possibility

    “a potential problem”

Say it in a sentence

“The old barn has real potential if the roof holds.”
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

7 sounds, in the order you say them
ppəschwa×2ttɛshort ennʃshll

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

Questions

“potential”, answered

How do you pronounce “potential”?

“potential” is pronounced /pəˈtɛnʃəl/ (puh-TEN-shuhl) in American English and /pətɛnʃəl/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “en”. Build it as pot-EN-tial, then run the second syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “potential” have?

3: pot · en · tial. The beat lands on the second, “en”.

Is “potential” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /pəˈtɛnʃəl/ (puh-TEN-shuhl); British English says /pətɛnʃəl/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “potential” mean?

As a noun: the inherent capacity for coming into being For example: “The old barn has real potential if the roof holds.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “potential”?

Stress the second syllable: pot-EN-tial. “en” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

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