Pronunciation

How to pronounce “solitary

“solitary” is pronounced /ˈsɑləˌtɛɹi/ (SAH-luh-te-ree) in American English and /sɒlɪtəɹi/ in British English — 4 syllables, stressed on “sol”.
The sound

Say “solitary” in 4 beats

Say it like this

solitary

/ˈsɑləˌtɛɹi/

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

4 beats
  1. solstress
  2. it
  3. ar
  4. yɹi
IPA (American)
/ˈsɑləˌtɛɹi/
IPA (British)
/sɒlɪtəɹi/
Respelling
SAH-luh-te-ree
Syllables
4 — SOL-it-ar-y
Stress
Stress the first syllable: SOL-it-ar-y. “sol” 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

/ˈsɑləˌtɛɹi/

British

/sɒlɪtəɹi/

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

Meaning

What “solitary” means

  1. noun

    confinement of a prisoner in isolation from other prisoners

    he was held in solitary

  2. noun

    one who lives in solitude

  3. adjective

    characterized by or preferring solitude

    a lone wolf

Say it in a sentence

One solitary gull followed the boat all the way home.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

8 sounds, in the order you say them

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

Questions

solitary”, answered

How do you pronounce “solitary”?

“solitary” is pronounced /ˈsɑləˌtɛɹi/ (SAH-luh-te-ree) in American English and /sɒlɪtəɹi/ in British English — 4 syllables, stressed on “sol”. Build it as SOL-it-ar-y, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “solitary” have?

4: sol · it · ar · y. The beat lands on the first, “sol”.

Is “solitary” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈsɑləˌtɛɹi/ (SAH-luh-te-ree); British English says /sɒlɪtəɹi/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “solitary” mean?

As a noun: confinement of a prisoner in isolation from other prisoners For example: “he was held in solitary” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “solitary”?

Stress the first syllable: SOL-it-ar-y. “sol” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “solitary” 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.