How to pronounce “rationale”
Say “rationale” in 3 beats
rationale
/ˌɹæʃəˈnæl/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /ɹaʃənal/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- ɹæɹæ
- ʃəʃə
- nælnælstress
- IPA (American)
- /ˌɹæʃəˈnæl/
- IPA (British)
- /ɹaʃənal/
- Respelling
- ra-shuh-NAL
- Syllables
- 3 — ɹæ-ʃə-NÆL
- Stress
- Stress the third syllable: ɹæ-ʃə-NÆL. “næl” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
- Part of speech
- noun
- Difficulty
- Pro — the sounds are ordinary, the rhythm is where it slips
American and British are not the same here
/ˌɹæʃəˈnæl/
/ɹaʃənal/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
What “rationale” means
- noun
(law) an explanation of the fundamental reasons (especially an explanation of the working of some device in terms of laws of nature)
“the rationale for capital punishment”
Say it in a sentence
“Nobody explained the rationale behind moving the bus stop.”“rationale”, answered
How do you pronounce “rationale”?
“rationale” is pronounced /ˌɹæʃəˈnæl/ (ra-shuh-NAL) in American English and /ɹaʃənal/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “næl”. Build it as ɹæ-ʃə-NÆL, then run the third syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.
How many syllables does “rationale” have?
3: ɹæ · ʃə · næl. The beat lands on the third, “næl”.
Is “rationale” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /ˌɹæʃəˈnæl/ (ra-shuh-NAL); British English says /ɹaʃənal/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “rationale” mean?
As a noun: (law) an explanation of the fundamental reasons (especially an explanation of the working of some device in terms of laws of nature) For example: “the rationale for capital punishment”
Where is the stress in “rationale”?
Stress the third syllable: ɹæ-ʃə-NÆL. “næl” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Now say “rationale” 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.