How to pronounce “total”
Say “total” in 2 beats
total
/ˈtoʊtəl/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /təʊtəl/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- tottoʊstress
- altəl
- IPA (American)
- /ˈtoʊtəl/
- IPA (British)
- /təʊtəl/
- Respelling
- TOH-tuhl
- Syllables
- 2 — TOT-al
- Stress
- Stress the first syllable: TOT-al. “tot” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
- Part of speech
- noun, verb, adjective
- Difficulty
- Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
American and British are not the same here
/ˈtoʊtəl/
/təʊtəl/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
What “total” means
- noun
the whole amount
- noun
a quantity obtained by the addition of a group of numbers
- verb
add up in number or quantity
“The bills amounted to $2,000”
Say it in a sentence
“The total cost of the trip was higher than expected.”“total”, answered
How do you pronounce “total”?
“total” is pronounced /ˈtoʊtəl/ (TOH-tuhl) in American English and /təʊtəl/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “tot”. Build it as TOT-al, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.
How many syllables does “total” have?
2: tot · al. The beat lands on the first, “tot”.
Is “total” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /ˈtoʊtəl/ (TOH-tuhl); British English says /təʊtəl/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “total” mean?
As a noun: the whole amount For example: “The total cost of the trip was higher than expected.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.
Where is the stress in “total”?
Stress the first syllable: TOT-al. “tot” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Now say “total” 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.