Native Phrase Lab
WillowbrookWord 200 of 545 · The stress trap
How to pronounce original
/əˈrɪdʒɪnəl/ British English
ə·RIJ·i·nəl
4 beats (syllables). The strong beat is the second one.
✗ Many people say
O·ri·gi·nal
✓ Say
ə·RIJ·i·nəl
My tip
Stress the second beat: ə-RIJ-i-nəl. But origin is OR-i-jin!
In a sentence
Careful with that painting, it’s an original.
Now you say it
- Listen to me two or three times.
- Say it slowly, one beat at a time: ə-RIJ-i-nəl.
- Say the sentence at normal speed.
Questions
How do you pronounce original?
In British English, original is pronounced /əˈrɪdʒɪnəl/. Say it like this: ə-RIJ-i-nəl. Stress the second beat: ə-RIJ-i-nəl. But origin is OR-i-jin!
How many syllables are in original?
When you say it, original has 4 syllables: ə-RIJ-i-nəl. The strong beat is the second one, RIJ.
More words like this: the stress trap
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: /ɪ/ as in “ship”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 Word stress 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.