How to pronounce “radical”
Say “radical” in 3 beats
radical
/ˈɹædəkəl/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /ɹadɪkəl/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- radɹæstress
- icdə
- alkəl
- IPA (American)
- /ˈɹædəkəl/
- IPA (British)
- /ɹadɪkəl/
- Also accepted
- /ˈɹædɪkəl/
- Respelling
- RA-duh-kuhl
- Syllables
- 3 — RAD-ic-al
- Stress
- Stress the first syllable: RAD-ic-al. “rad” 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
/ˈɹædəkəl/
/ɹadɪkəl/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
What “radical” means
- noun
(chemistry) two or more atoms bound together as a single unit and forming part of a molecule
- noun
an atom or group of atoms with at least one unpaired electron; in the body it is usually an oxygen molecule that has lost an electron and will stabilize itself by stealing an electron from a nearby molecule
“in the body free radicals are high-energy particles that ricochet wildly and damage cells”
- noun
a person who has radical ideas or opinions
Say it in a sentence
“A free radical is what these antioxidants are meant to mop up.”“radical”, answered
How do you pronounce “radical”?
“radical” is pronounced /ˈɹædəkəl/ (RA-duh-kuhl) in American English and /ɹadɪkəl/ in British English, and /ˈɹædɪkəl/ is also accepted — 3 syllables, stressed on “rad”. Build it as RAD-ic-al, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.
How many syllables does “radical” have?
3: rad · ic · al. The beat lands on the first, “rad”.
Is “radical” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /ˈɹædəkəl/ (RA-duh-kuhl); British English says /ɹadɪkəl/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “radical” mean?
As a noun: (chemistry) two or more atoms bound together as a single unit and forming part of a molecule For example: “A free radical is what these antioxidants are meant to mop up.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.
Where is the stress in “radical”?
Stress the first syllable: RAD-ic-al. “rad” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Now say “radical” 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.