Pronunciation

How to pronounce “subtotal

“subtotal” is pronounced /ˈsʌbˌtoʊtəl/ (SUB-toh-tuhl) in American English and /ˈsʌbtəʊtəl/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “sub”.
The sound

Say “subtotal” in 3 beats

Say it like this

subtotal

/ˈsʌbˌtoʊtəl/

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

3 beats
  1. subsʌbstress
  2. tottoʊ
  3. altəl
IPA (American)
/ˈsʌbˌtoʊtəl/
IPA (British)
/ˈsʌbtəʊtəl/
Respelling
SUB-toh-tuhl
Syllables
3 — SUB-tot-al
Stress
Stress the first syllable: SUB-tot-al. “sub” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Part of speech
noun
Difficulty
Legend — spelling and sound part company here
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˈsʌbˌtoʊtəl/

British

/ˈsʌbtəʊtəl/

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

Watch out

Where “subtotal” goes wrong

  • Often heard

    sub-TOH-tul

    the stress is on SUB, the first syllable

Meaning

What “subtotal” means

  1. noun

    the sum of part of a group of numbers

Say it in a sentence

Check the subtotal before you add the delivery charge.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

7 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

subtotal”, answered

How do you pronounce “subtotal”?

“subtotal” is pronounced /ˈsʌbˌtoʊtəl/ (SUB-toh-tuhl) in American English and /ˈsʌbtəʊtəl/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “sub”. Build it as SUB-tot-al, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “subtotal” have?

3: sub · tot · al. The beat lands on the first, “sub”.

Is “subtotal” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈsʌbˌtoʊtəl/ (SUB-toh-tuhl); British English says /ˈsʌbtəʊtəl/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “subtotal” mean?

As a noun: the sum of part of a group of numbers For example: “Check the subtotal before you add the delivery charge.”

Where is the stress in “subtotal”?

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

Practise this word

Now say “subtotal” 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.