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Pronunciation

How to pronounce “vertical”

“vertical” is pronounced /ˈvɝtɪkəl/ (VUR-ti-kuhl) in American English and /vɜːtɪkəl/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “ver”.
The sound

Say “vertical” in 3 beats

Say it like this

vertical

/ˈvɝtɪkəl/

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

3 beats
  1. vervɝstress
  2. tictɪ
  3. alkəl
IPA (American)
/ˈvɝtɪkəl/
IPA (British)
/vɜːtɪkəl/
Respelling
VUR-ti-kuhl
Syllables
3 — VER-tic-al
Stress
Stress the first syllable: VER-tic-al. “ver” 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

/ˈvɝtɪkəl/

British

/vɜːtɪkəl/

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

Meaning

What “vertical” means

  1. noun

    something that is oriented vertically

  2. noun

    a vertical structural member as a post or stake

    “the ball sailed between the uprights”

  3. adjective

    at right angles to the plane of the horizon or a base line

    “a vertical camera angle”

Say it in a sentence

“Draw a vertical through the middle of the square.”
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

7 sounds, in the order you say them
vvɝerttɪshort ikkəschwall

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

Questions

“vertical”, answered

How do you pronounce “vertical”?

“vertical” is pronounced /ˈvɝtɪkəl/ (VUR-ti-kuhl) in American English and /vɜːtɪkəl/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “ver”. Build it as VER-tic-al, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “vertical” have?

3: ver · tic · al. The beat lands on the first, “ver”.

Is “vertical” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈvɝtɪkəl/ (VUR-ti-kuhl); British English says /vɜːtɪkəl/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “vertical” mean?

As a noun: something that is oriented vertically For example: “Draw a vertical through the middle of the square.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “vertical”?

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

Practise this word

Now say “vertical” and see every sound

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