Native Phrase Lab
WillowbrookWord 156 of 545 · Fewer beats than you think
How to pronounce actually
/ˈæktʃəli/ British English
AK·chə·lee
3 beats (syllables). The strong beat is the first one.
a Crossed-out letters are silent.a Coloured letters don’t sound the way they look.
✗ Many people say
ak·TU·al·ly
✓ Say
AK·chə·lee
My tip
tu sounds like chə. In fast speech it’s 3 beats. AK-choo-ə-lee is fine too.
In a sentence
I made this lemonade myself, actually.
Now you say it
- Listen to me two or three times.
- Say it slowly, one beat at a time: AK-chə-lee.
- Say the sentence at normal speed.
Questions
How do you pronounce actually?
In British English, actually is pronounced /ˈæktʃəli/. Say it like this: AK-chə-lee. tu sounds like chə. In fast speech it’s 3 beats. AK-choo-ə-lee is fine too.
How many syllables are in actually?
When you say it, actually has 3 syllables: AK-chə-lee. The strong beat is the first one, AK.
More words like this: fewer beats than you think
Practise these sounds
- The schwa, /ə/The small, weak sound in this word. It’s one of the 4 sounds you can practise completely free in my Sound Atlas.
- The strong beat: /æ/ as in “cat”Meet this sound and hear it in my Sound Atlas. Free.
- The Sound MapAll 44 sounds of British English, in my voice. Free.
- Pitch Perfect: the Silent letters setHear me say it, record yourself, and see your sound under mine. A premium game.
- More gamesFive of my English games are free to play.