How to pronounce “totally”
Say “totally” in 3 beats
totally
/ˈtoʊtəli/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /təʊtəli/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- tottoʊstress
- altə
- lyli
- IPA (American)
- /ˈtoʊtəli/
- IPA (British)
- /təʊtəli/
- Respelling
- TOH-tuh-lee
- Syllables
- 3 — TOT-al-ly
- Stress
- Stress the first syllable: TOT-al-ly. “tot” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
- Part of speech
- adverb
- Difficulty
- Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
American and British are not the same here
/ˈtoʊtəli/
/təʊtəli/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
What “totally” means
- adverb
to a complete degree or to the full or entire extent (`whole' is often used informally for `wholly')
“he was wholly convinced”
Say it in a sentence
“She was totally exhausted after the long hike uphill.”“totally”, answered
How do you pronounce “totally”?
“totally” is pronounced /ˈtoʊtəli/ (TOH-tuh-lee) in American English and /təʊtəli/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “tot”. Build it as TOT-al-ly, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.
How many syllables does “totally” have?
3: tot · al · ly. The beat lands on the first, “tot”.
Is “totally” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /ˈtoʊtəli/ (TOH-tuh-lee); British English says /təʊtəli/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “totally” mean?
As an adverb: to a complete degree or to the full or entire extent (`whole' is often used informally for `wholly') For example: “he was wholly convinced”
Where is the stress in “totally”?
Stress the first syllable: TOT-al-ly. “tot” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Now say “totally” 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.