How to pronounce “vocabulary”
Say “vocabulary” in 5 beats
vocabulary
/voʊˈkæbjəˌlɛɹi/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /vəʊkabjʊləɹi/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- vocvoʊ
- abkæstress
- ulbjə
- arlɛ
- yɹi
- IPA (American)
- /voʊˈkæbjəˌlɛɹi/
- IPA (British)
- /vəʊkabjʊləɹi/
- Respelling
- voh-KA-byuh-le-ree
- Syllables
- 5 — voc-AB-ul-ar-y
- Stress
- Stress the second syllable: voc-AB-ul-ar-y. “ab” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
- Part of speech
- noun
- Difficulty
- Pro — the sounds are ordinary, the rhythm is where it slips
American and British are not the same here
/voʊˈkæbjəˌlɛɹi/
/vəʊkabjʊləɹi/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
What “vocabulary” means
- noun
a listing of the words used in some enterprise
- noun
a language user's knowledge of words
- noun
the system of techniques or symbols serving as a means of expression (as in arts or crafts)
“he introduced a wide vocabulary of techniques”
Say it in a sentence
“Reading widely builds vocabulary faster than memorising lists.”“vocabulary”, answered
How do you pronounce “vocabulary”?
“vocabulary” is pronounced /voʊˈkæbjəˌlɛɹi/ (voh-KA-byuh-le-ree) in American English and /vəʊkabjʊləɹi/ in British English — 5 syllables, stressed on “ab”. Build it as voc-AB-ul-ar-y, then run the second syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.
How many syllables does “vocabulary” have?
5: voc · ab · ul · ar · y. The beat lands on the second, “ab”.
Is “vocabulary” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /voʊˈkæbjəˌlɛɹi/ (voh-KA-byuh-le-ree); British English says /vəʊkabjʊləɹi/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “vocabulary” mean?
As a noun: a listing of the words used in some enterprise For example: “Reading widely builds vocabulary faster than memorising lists.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.
Where is the stress in “vocabulary”?
Stress the second syllable: voc-AB-ul-ar-y. “ab” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Now say “vocabulary” 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.