How to pronounce “preliminary”
Say “preliminary” in 5 beats
preliminary
/pɹɪˈlɪməˌnɛɹi/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /pɹɪlɪmɪnəɹi/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- prelpɹɪ
- imlɪstress
- inmə
- arnɛ
- yɹi
- IPA (American)
- /pɹɪˈlɪməˌnɛɹi/
- IPA (British)
- /pɹɪlɪmɪnəɹi/
- Also accepted
- /pɹiˈlɪməˌnɛɹi/
- Respelling
- pri-LI-muh-ne-ree
- Syllables
- 5 — prel-IM-in-ar-y
- Stress
- Stress the second syllable: prel-IM-in-ar-y. “im” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
- Part of speech
- noun, adjective
- Difficulty
- Pro — the sounds are ordinary, the rhythm is where it slips
American and British are not the same here
/pɹɪˈlɪməˌnɛɹi/
/pɹɪlɪmɪnəɹi/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
What “preliminary” means
- noun
a minor match preceding the main event
- noun
something that serves as a preceding event or introduces what follows
“training is a necessary preliminary to employment”
- adjective
denoting an action or event preceding or in preparation for something more important; designed to orient or acquaint with a situation before proceeding
“a preliminary investigation”
Say it in a sentence
“Preliminary results suggest the treatment works better than expected.”“preliminary”, answered
How do you pronounce “preliminary”?
“preliminary” is pronounced /pɹɪˈlɪməˌnɛɹi/ (pri-LI-muh-ne-ree) in American English and /pɹɪlɪmɪnəɹi/ in British English, and /pɹiˈlɪməˌnɛɹi/ is also accepted — 5 syllables, stressed on “im”. Build it as prel-IM-in-ar-y, then run the second syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.
How many syllables does “preliminary” have?
5: prel · im · in · ar · y. The beat lands on the second, “im”.
Is “preliminary” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /pɹɪˈlɪməˌnɛɹi/ (pri-LI-muh-ne-ree); British English says /pɹɪlɪmɪnəɹi/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “preliminary” mean?
As a noun: a minor match preceding the main event For example: “Preliminary results suggest the treatment works better than expected.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.
Where is the stress in “preliminary”?
Stress the second syllable: prel-IM-in-ar-y. “im” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Now say “preliminary” 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.