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Pronunciation

How to pronounce “preferable”

“preferable” is pronounced /ˈpɹɛfɚəbəl/ (PREF-ur-uh-buhl) in American English and /ˈpɹɛfəɹəbəl/ in British English, and /ˈpɹɛfɹəbəl/ is also accepted — 4 syllables, stressed on “pref”.
The sound

Say “preferable” in 4 beats

Say it like this

preferable

/ˈpɹɛfɚəbəl/

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

4 beats
  1. prefpɹɛstress
  2. erfɚ
  3. abə
  4. lebəl
IPA (American)
/ˈpɹɛfɚəbəl/
IPA (British)
/ˈpɹɛfəɹəbəl/
Also accepted
/ˈpɹɛfɹəbəl/
Respelling
PREF-ur-uh-buhl
Syllables
4 — PREF-er-ab-le
Stress
Stress the first syllable: PREF-er-ab-le. “pref” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Part of speech
adjective
Difficulty
Pro — the sounds are ordinary, the rhythm is where it slips
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˈpɹɛfɚəbəl/

British

/ˈpɹɛfəɹəbəl/

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

Watch out

Where “preferable” goes wrong

  • Often heard

    “pree-FUR-uh-bul”

    the stress stays on PREF, unlike the verb prefer

Meaning

What “preferable” means

  1. adjective

    more desirable than another

    “coffee is preferable to tea”

Say it in a sentence

“Walking is preferable to driving on a morning like this one.”
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

7 sounds, in the order you say them
ppɹrɛshort effɚschwa×3bbll

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

Questions

“preferable”, answered

How do you pronounce “preferable”?

“preferable” is pronounced /ˈpɹɛfɚəbəl/ (PREF-ur-uh-buhl) in American English and /ˈpɹɛfəɹəbəl/ in British English, and /ˈpɹɛfɹəbəl/ is also accepted — 4 syllables, stressed on “pref”. Build it as PREF-er-ab-le, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “preferable” have?

4: pref · er · ab · le. The beat lands on the first, “pref”.

Is “preferable” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈpɹɛfɚəbəl/ (PREF-ur-uh-buhl); British English says /ˈpɹɛfəɹəbəl/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “preferable” mean?

As an adjective: more desirable than another For example: “coffee is preferable to tea”

Where is the stress in “preferable”?

Stress the first syllable: PREF-er-ab-le. “pref” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “preferable” and see every sound

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