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Pronunciation

How to pronounce “terminal”

“terminal” is pronounced /ˈtɝmənəl/ (TUR-muh-nuhl) in American English and /tɜːmɪnəl/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “ter”.
The sound

Say “terminal” in 3 beats

Say it like this

terminal

/ˈtɝmənəl/

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

3 beats
  1. tertɝstress
  2. minmə
  3. alnəl
IPA (American)
/ˈtɝmənəl/
IPA (British)
/tɜːmɪnəl/
Respelling
TUR-muh-nuhl
Syllables
3 — TER-min-al
Stress
Stress the first syllable: TER-min-al. “ter” 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

/ˈtɝmənəl/

British

/tɜːmɪnəl/

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

Meaning

What “terminal” means

  1. noun

    station where transport vehicles load or unload passengers or goods

  2. noun

    a contact on an electrical device (such as a battery) at which electric current enters or leaves

  3. noun

    either extremity of something that has length

    “the end of the pier”

Say it in a sentence

“The ferry terminal smells of diesel and wet rope.”
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

6 sounds, in the order you say them
ttɝermməschwa×2nnll

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

Questions

“terminal”, answered

How do you pronounce “terminal”?

“terminal” is pronounced /ˈtɝmənəl/ (TUR-muh-nuhl) in American English and /tɜːmɪnəl/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “ter”. Build it as TER-min-al, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “terminal” have?

3: ter · min · al. The beat lands on the first, “ter”.

Is “terminal” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈtɝmənəl/ (TUR-muh-nuhl); British English says /tɜːmɪnəl/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “terminal” mean?

As a noun: station where transport vehicles load or unload passengers or goods For example: “The ferry terminal smells of diesel and wet rope.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “terminal”?

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

Practise this word

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