How to pronounce “retail”
Say “retail” in 2 beats
retail
/ˈɹiˌteɪl/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /ɹiːteɪl/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- retɹistress
- ailteɪl
- IPA (American)
- /ˈɹiˌteɪl/
- IPA (British)
- /ɹiːteɪl/
- Respelling
- REE-tayl
- Syllables
- 2 — RET-ail
- Stress
- Stress the first syllable: RET-ail. “ret” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
- Part of speech
- noun, verb, adverb
- Difficulty
- Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
American and British are not the same here
/ˈɹiˌteɪl/
/ɹiːteɪl/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
What “retail” means
- noun
the selling of goods to consumers; usually in small quantities and not for resale
- verb
be sold at the retail level
“These gems retail at thousands of dollars each”
- verb
sell on the retail market
Say it in a sentence
“Retail sales usually rise sharply in the last week of December.”“retail”, answered
How do you pronounce “retail”?
“retail” is pronounced /ˈɹiˌteɪl/ (REE-tayl) in American English and /ɹiːteɪl/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “ret”. Build it as RET-ail, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.
How many syllables does “retail” have?
2: ret · ail. The beat lands on the first, “ret”.
Is “retail” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /ˈɹiˌteɪl/ (REE-tayl); British English says /ɹiːteɪl/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “retail” mean?
As a noun: the selling of goods to consumers; usually in small quantities and not for resale For example: “Retail sales usually rise sharply in the last week of December.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.
Where is the stress in “retail”?
Stress the first syllable: RET-ail. “ret” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Now say “retail” 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.