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Pronunciation

How to pronounce “virtual”

“virtual” is pronounced /ˈvɝtʃuəl/ (VUR-choo-uhl) in American English and /vɜːtʃuːəl/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “vɝ”.
The sound

Say “virtual” in 3 beats

Say it like this

virtual

/ˈvɝtʃuəl/

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

3 beats
  1. vɝvɝstress
  2. tʃutʃu
  3. ələl
IPA (American)
/ˈvɝtʃuəl/
IPA (British)
/vɜːtʃuːəl/
Respelling
VUR-choo-uhl
Syllables
3 — Vɝ-tʃu-əl
Stress
Stress the first syllable: Vɝ-tʃu-əl. “vɝ” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Part of speech
adjective
Difficulty
Pro — the sounds are ordinary, the rhythm is where it slips
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˈvɝtʃuəl/

British

/vɜːtʃuːəl/

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

Meaning

What “virtual” means

  1. adjective

    being actually such in almost every respect

    “a practical failure”

  2. adjective

    existing in essence or effect though not in actual fact

    “a virtual dependence on charity”

Say it in a sentence

“We held the whole conference in a virtual meeting room.”
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

6 sounds, in the order you say them
vvɝertʃchulong ooəschwall

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

Questions

“virtual”, answered

How do you pronounce “virtual”?

“virtual” is pronounced /ˈvɝtʃuəl/ (VUR-choo-uhl) in American English and /vɜːtʃuːəl/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “vɝ”. Build it as Vɝ-tʃu-əl, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “virtual” have?

3: vɝ · tʃu · əl. The beat lands on the first, “vɝ”.

Is “virtual” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈvɝtʃuəl/ (VUR-choo-uhl); British English says /vɜːtʃuːəl/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “virtual” mean?

As an adjective: being actually such in almost every respect For example: “a practical failure” It carries 1 other sense as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “virtual”?

Stress the first syllable: Vɝ-tʃu-əl. “vɝ” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “virtual” and see every sound

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Practise this word freeMore words with V