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Pronunciation

How to pronounce “qualitative”

“qualitative” is pronounced /ˈkwɑləˌteɪtɪv/ (KWAH-luh-tay-tiv) in American English and /kwɒlɪteɪtɪv/ in British English — 4 syllables, stressed on “kwɑ”.
The sound

Say “qualitative” in 4 beats

Say it like this

qualitative

/ˈkwɑləˌteɪtɪv/

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

4 beats
  1. kwɑkwɑstress
  2. lələ
  3. teɪteɪ
  4. tɪvtɪv
IPA (American)
/ˈkwɑləˌteɪtɪv/
IPA (British)
/kwɒlɪteɪtɪv/
Respelling
KWAH-luh-tay-tiv
Syllables
4 — KWⱭ-lə-teɪ-tɪv
Stress
Stress the first syllable: KWⱭ-lə-teɪ-tɪv. “kwɑ” 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

/ˈkwɑləˌteɪtɪv/

British

/kwɒlɪteɪtɪv/

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

Meaning

What “qualitative” means

  1. adjective

    involving distinctions based on qualities

    “qualitative change”

  2. adjective

    relating to or involving comparisons based on qualities

Say it in a sentence

“Qualitative interviews revealed what the numbers had hidden.”
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

9 sounds, in the order you say them
kkwwɑahlləschwatt×2eɪlong aɪshort ivv

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

Questions

“qualitative”, answered

How do you pronounce “qualitative”?

“qualitative” is pronounced /ˈkwɑləˌteɪtɪv/ (KWAH-luh-tay-tiv) in American English and /kwɒlɪteɪtɪv/ in British English — 4 syllables, stressed on “kwɑ”. Build it as KWⱭ-lə-teɪ-tɪv, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “qualitative” have?

4: kwɑ · lə · teɪ · tɪv. The beat lands on the first, “kwɑ”.

Is “qualitative” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈkwɑləˌteɪtɪv/ (KWAH-luh-tay-tiv); British English says /kwɒlɪteɪtɪv/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “qualitative” mean?

As an adjective: involving distinctions based on qualities For example: “qualitative change” It carries 1 other sense as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “qualitative”?

Stress the first syllable: KWⱭ-lə-teɪ-tɪv. “kwɑ” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

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