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Pronunciation

How to pronounce “rational”

“rational” is pronounced /ˈɹæʃənəl/ (RA-shuh-nuhl) in American English and /ɹaʃənəl/ in British English, and /ˈɹæʃnəl/ is also accepted — 3 syllables, stressed on “rat”.
The sound

Say “rational” in 3 beats

Say it like this

rational

/ˈɹæʃənəl/

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

3 beats
  1. ratɹæstress
  2. ionʃə
  3. alnəl
IPA (American)
/ˈɹæʃənəl/
IPA (British)
/ɹaʃənəl/
Also accepted
/ˈɹæʃnəl/
Respelling
RA-shuh-nuhl
Syllables
3 — RAT-ion-al
Stress
Stress the first syllable: RAT-ion-al. “rat” 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

/ˈɹæʃənəl/

British

/ɹaʃənəl/

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

Meaning

What “rational” means

  1. noun

    an integer or a fraction

  2. adjective

    consistent with or based on or using reason

    “rational behavior”

  3. adjective

    of or associated with or requiring the use of the mind

    “intellectual problems”

Say it in a sentence

“One half is a rational; the square root of two is not.”
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

6 sounds, in the order you say them
ɹræshort aʃshəschwa×2nnll

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

Questions

“rational”, answered

How do you pronounce “rational”?

“rational” is pronounced /ˈɹæʃənəl/ (RA-shuh-nuhl) in American English and /ɹaʃənəl/ in British English, and /ˈɹæʃnəl/ is also accepted — 3 syllables, stressed on “rat”. Build it as RAT-ion-al, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “rational” have?

3: rat · ion · al. The beat lands on the first, “rat”.

Is “rational” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈɹæʃənəl/ (RA-shuh-nuhl); British English says /ɹaʃənəl/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “rational” mean?

As a noun: an integer or a fraction For example: “One half is a rational; the square root of two is not.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “rational”?

Stress the first syllable: RAT-ion-al. “rat” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

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