Pronunciation

How to pronounce “ultimately

“ultimately” is pronounced /ˈʌltəmətli/ (UL-tuh-muht-lee) in American English and /ʌltɪmətli/ in British English — 4 syllables, stressed on “ʌl”.
The sound

Say “ultimately” in 4 beats

Say it like this

ultimately

/ˈʌltəmətli/

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

4 beats
  1. ʌlʌlstress
  2. mətmət
  3. lili
IPA (American)
/ˈʌltəmətli/
IPA (British)
/ʌltɪmətli/
Respelling
UL-tuh-muht-lee
Syllables
4 — ɅL-tə-mət-li
Stress
Stress the first syllable: ɅL-tə-mət-li. “ʌl” 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
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˈʌltəmətli/

British

/ʌltɪmətli/

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

Meaning

What “ultimately” means

  1. adverb

    as the end result of a succession or process

    ultimately he had to give in

Say it in a sentence

Ultimately, the decision came down to the cost of oil.
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

ultimately”, answered

How do you pronounce “ultimately”?

“ultimately” is pronounced /ˈʌltəmətli/ (UL-tuh-muht-lee) in American English and /ʌltɪmətli/ in British English — 4 syllables, stressed on “ʌl”. Build it as ɅL-tə-mət-li, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “ultimately” have?

4: ʌl · tə · mət · li. The beat lands on the first, “ʌl”.

Is “ultimately” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈʌltəmətli/ (UL-tuh-muht-lee); British English says /ʌltɪmətli/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “ultimately” mean?

As an adverb: as the end result of a succession or process For example: “ultimately he had to give in”

Where is the stress in “ultimately”?

Stress the first syllable: ɅL-tə-mət-li. “ʌl” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “ultimately” 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.