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Pronunciation

How to pronounce “qualify”

“qualify” is pronounced /ˈkwɑləˌfaɪ/ (KWAH-luh-fy) in American English and /kwɒlɪfaɪ/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “qual”.
The sound

Say “qualify” in 3 beats

Say it like this

qualify

/ˈkwɑləˌfaɪ/

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

3 beats
  1. qualkwɑstress
  2. iflə
  3. yfaɪ
IPA (American)
/ˈkwɑləˌfaɪ/
IPA (British)
/kwɒlɪfaɪ/
Respelling
KWAH-luh-fy
Syllables
3 — QUAL-if-y
Stress
Stress the first syllable: QUAL-if-y. “qual” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Part of speech
verb
Difficulty
Pro — the sounds are ordinary, the rhythm is where it slips
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˈkwɑləˌfaɪ/

British

/kwɒlɪfaɪ/

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

Meaning

What “qualify” means

  1. verb

    prove capable or fit; meet requirements

  2. verb

    pronounce fit or able

    “She was qualified to run the marathon”

  3. verb

    make more specific

    “qualify these remarks”

Say it in a sentence

“Two more races and he will qualify for the final.”
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

7 sounds, in the order you say them
kkwwɑahlləschwaffaɪlong i

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

Questions

“qualify”, answered

How do you pronounce “qualify”?

“qualify” is pronounced /ˈkwɑləˌfaɪ/ (KWAH-luh-fy) in American English and /kwɒlɪfaɪ/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “qual”. Build it as QUAL-if-y, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “qualify” have?

3: qual · if · y. The beat lands on the first, “qual”.

Is “qualify” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈkwɑləˌfaɪ/ (KWAH-luh-fy); British English says /kwɒlɪfaɪ/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “qualify” mean?

As a verb: prove capable or fit; meet requirements For example: “Two more races and he will qualify for the final.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “qualify”?

Stress the first syllable: QUAL-if-y. “qual” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

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