Pronunciation

How to pronounce “withdrawal

“withdrawal” is pronounced /wɪðˈdɹɔəl/ (widh-DRAW-uhl) in American English and /wɪðˈdɹɔːəl/ in British English, and /wɪθˈdɹɔəl/ is also accepted — 3 syllables, stressed on “draw”.
The sound

Say “withdrawal” in 3 beats

Say it like this

withdrawal

/wɪðˈdɹɔəl/

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

3 beats
  1. withwɪð
  2. drawdɹɔstress
  3. aləl
IPA (American)
/wɪðˈdɹɔəl/
IPA (British)
/wɪðˈdɹɔːəl/
Also accepted
/wɪθˈdɹɔəl/
Respelling
widh-DRAW-uhl
Syllables
3 — with-DRAW-al
Stress
Stress the second syllable: with-DRAW-al. “draw” 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
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/wɪðˈdɹɔəl/

British

/wɪðˈdɹɔːəl/

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

Watch out

Where “withdrawal” goes wrong

  • Often heard

    with-DRAW-ul with an r at the end/wɪðˈdɹɔɹəl/

    there is no second r: the ending is simply -aw-uhl

Meaning

What “withdrawal” means

  1. noun

    a retraction of a previously held position

  2. noun

    the act of taking out money or other capital

  3. noun

    the act of withdrawing

    the withdrawal of French troops from Vietnam

Say it in a sentence

The withdrawal of the funding was announced without warning.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

8 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

withdrawal”, answered

How do you pronounce “withdrawal”?

“withdrawal” is pronounced /wɪðˈdɹɔəl/ (widh-DRAW-uhl) in American English and /wɪðˈdɹɔːəl/ in British English, and /wɪθˈdɹɔəl/ is also accepted — 3 syllables, stressed on “draw”. Build it as with-DRAW-al, then run the second syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “withdrawal” have?

3: with · draw · al. The beat lands on the second, “draw”.

Is “withdrawal” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /wɪðˈdɹɔəl/ (widh-DRAW-uhl); British English says /wɪðˈdɹɔːəl/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “withdrawal” mean?

As a noun: a retraction of a previously held position For example: “The withdrawal of the funding was announced without warning.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “withdrawal”?

Stress the second syllable: with-DRAW-al. “draw” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “withdrawal” and see every sound

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