How to pronounce “special”
Say “special” in 2 beats
special
/ˈspɛʃəl/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /spɛʃəl/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- specspɛstress
- ialʃəl
- IPA (American)
- /ˈspɛʃəl/
- IPA (British)
- /spɛʃəl/
- Respelling
- SPE-shuhl
- Syllables
- 2 — SPEC-ial
- Stress
- Stress the first syllable: SPEC-ial. “spec” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
- Part of speech
- noun, adjective
- Difficulty
- Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
American and British are not the same here
/ˈspɛʃəl/
/spɛʃəl/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
What “special” means
- noun
a special offering (usually temporary and at a reduced price) that is featured in advertising
“they are having a special on pork chops”
- noun
a dish or meal given prominence in e.g. a restaurant
- noun
a television production that features a particular person or work or topic
“the last of a series of BBC specials on Iran is being shown tonight”
Say it in a sentence
“They planned something special for their tenth anniversary.”“special”, answered
How do you pronounce “special”?
“special” is pronounced /ˈspɛʃəl/ (SPE-shuhl) in American English and /spɛʃəl/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “spec”. Build it as SPEC-ial, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.
How many syllables does “special” have?
2: spec · ial. The beat lands on the first, “spec”.
Is “special” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /ˈspɛʃəl/ (SPE-shuhl); British English says /spɛʃəl/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “special” mean?
As a noun: a special offering (usually temporary and at a reduced price) that is featured in advertising For example: “they are having a special on pork chops” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.
Where is the stress in “special”?
Stress the first syllable: SPEC-ial. “spec” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Now say “special” 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.