Pronunciation

How to pronounce “proportional

“proportional” is pronounced /pɹəˈpɔɹʃənəl/ (pruh-PAWR-shuh-nuhl) in American English and /pɹəpɔːʃənəl/ in British English — 4 syllables, stressed on “or”.
The sound

Say “proportional” in 4 beats

Say it like this

proportional

/pɹəˈpɔɹʃənəl/

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

4 beats
  1. proppɹə
  2. orpɔɹstress
  3. tionʃə
  4. alnəl
IPA (American)
/pɹəˈpɔɹʃənəl/
IPA (British)
/pɹəpɔːʃənəl/
Respelling
pruh-PAWR-shuh-nuhl
Syllables
4 — prop-OR-tion-al
Stress
Stress the second syllable: prop-OR-tion-al. “or” 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
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/pɹəˈpɔɹʃənəl/

British

/pɹəpɔːʃənəl/

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

Meaning

What “proportional” means

  1. noun

    one of the quantities in a mathematical proportion

  2. adjective

    properly related in size or degree or other measurable characteristics; usually followed by `to'

    the punishment ought to be proportional to the crime

  3. adjective

    having a constant ratio

Say it in a sentence

The fee is proportional to the number of guests.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

7 sounds, in the order you say them

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

Questions

proportional”, answered

How do you pronounce “proportional”?

“proportional” is pronounced /pɹəˈpɔɹʃənəl/ (pruh-PAWR-shuh-nuhl) in American English and /pɹəpɔːʃənəl/ in British English — 4 syllables, stressed on “or”. Build it as prop-OR-tion-al, then run the second syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “proportional” have?

4: prop · or · tion · al. The beat lands on the second, “or”.

Is “proportional” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /pɹəˈpɔɹʃənəl/ (pruh-PAWR-shuh-nuhl); British English says /pɹəpɔːʃənəl/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “proportional” mean?

As a noun: one of the quantities in a mathematical proportion For example: “The fee is proportional to the number of guests.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “proportional”?

Stress the second syllable: prop-OR-tion-al. “or” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “proportional” and see every sound

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