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Pronunciation

How to pronounce “skeptical”

“skeptical” is pronounced /ˈskɛptəkəl/ (SKEP-tuh-kuhl) in American English and /skɛptɪkəl/ in British English, and /ˈskɛptɪkəl/ is also accepted — 3 syllables, stressed on “skep”.
The sound

Say “skeptical” in 3 beats

Say it like this

skeptical

/ˈskɛptəkəl/

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

3 beats
  1. skepskɛpstress
  2. tictə
  3. alkəl
IPA (American)
/ˈskɛptəkəl/
IPA (British)
/skɛptɪkəl/
Also accepted
/ˈskɛptɪkəl/
Respelling
SKEP-tuh-kuhl
Syllables
3 — SKEP-tic-al
Stress
Stress the first syllable: SKEP-tic-al. “skep” 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

/ˈskɛptəkəl/

British

/skɛptɪkəl/

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

Meaning

What “skeptical” means

  1. adjective

    denying or questioning the tenets of especially a religion

    “a skeptical approach to the nature of miracles”

  2. adjective

    marked by or given to doubt

    “a skeptical attitude”

Say it in a sentence

“She remained skeptical about the whole miraculous story.”
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

7 sounds, in the order you say them
sskk×2ɛshort eppttəschwa×2ll

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

Questions

“skeptical”, answered

How do you pronounce “skeptical”?

“skeptical” is pronounced /ˈskɛptəkəl/ (SKEP-tuh-kuhl) in American English and /skɛptɪkəl/ in British English, and /ˈskɛptɪkəl/ is also accepted — 3 syllables, stressed on “skep”. Build it as SKEP-tic-al, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “skeptical” have?

3: skep · tic · al. The beat lands on the first, “skep”.

Is “skeptical” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈskɛptəkəl/ (SKEP-tuh-kuhl); British English says /skɛptɪkəl/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “skeptical” mean?

As an adjective: denying or questioning the tenets of especially a religion For example: “a skeptical approach to the nature of miracles” It carries 1 other sense as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “skeptical”?

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

Practise this word

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