Pronunciation

How to pronounce “symbol

“symbol” is pronounced /ˈsɪmbəl/ (SIM-buhl) in American English and /sɪmbəl/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “sym”.
The sound

Say “symbol” in 2 beats

Say it like this

symbol

/ˈsɪmbəl/

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

2 beats
  1. symsɪmstress
  2. bolbəl
IPA (American)
/ˈsɪmbəl/
IPA (British)
/sɪmbəl/
Respelling
SIM-buhl
Syllables
2 — SYM-bol
Stress
Stress the first syllable: SYM-bol. “sym” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Part of speech
noun
Difficulty
Pro — the sounds are ordinary, the rhythm is where it slips
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˈsɪmbəl/

British

/sɪmbəl/

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

Meaning

What “symbol” means

  1. noun

    an arbitrary sign (written or printed) that has acquired a conventional significance

  2. noun

    something visible that by association or convention represents something else that is invisible

    the eagle is a symbol of the United States

Say it in a sentence

The symbol on the map means a drinking-water tap.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

6 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

symbol”, answered

How do you pronounce “symbol”?

“symbol” is pronounced /ˈsɪmbəl/ (SIM-buhl) in American English and /sɪmbəl/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “sym”. Build it as SYM-bol, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “symbol” have?

2: sym · bol. The beat lands on the first, “sym”.

Is “symbol” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈsɪmbəl/ (SIM-buhl); British English says /sɪmbəl/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “symbol” mean?

As a noun: an arbitrary sign (written or printed) that has acquired a conventional significance For example: “The symbol on the map means a drinking-water tap.” It carries 1 other sense as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “symbol”?

Stress the first syllable: SYM-bol. “sym” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “symbol” 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.