How To Pronounce Gentle

gentle

Phonemic

/ˈdʒen.təl/

Phonetic

[ˈdʒẽn.tl̩]

Phonemic

/ˈdʒen.t̯əl/

In British English, gentle is pronounced /ˈdʒen.təl/. The narrow phonetic transcription is [ˈdʒẽn.tl̩]. In American English, it is pronounced /ˈdʒen.t̯əl/.

Gentle has two syllables, and the main stress falls on the first syllable. The British and American pronunciations are different, so listen to both.

Slashes / / show the phonemic transcription, the sounds that change meaning. Square brackets [ ] show the phonetic transcription, with the finer detail of how the sounds are actually made.

Syllables, Stress And Endings

Syllables And Stress

dʒentəl

Gentle has two syllables in British English, and the main stress is on the first syllable, shown in colour above. Its stress pattern is Oo, where O is the stressed syllable.

gentle + -er

-er (comparative) is /ə/ in UK English and /ɚ/ in US English. The /ə/ before the /l/ drops out, so the /l/ and the ending share a syllable.

/ˈdʒen.tlə/

/ˈdʒen.t̯lɚ/

gentle + -est

-est (superlative) is always /ɪst/. The /ə/ before the /l/ drops out, so the /l/ and the ending share a syllable.

/ˈdʒen.tlɪst/

/ˈdʒen.t̯lɪst/

Words That Rhyme With Gentle

Questions About Gentle

How do you pronounce gentle in British English?

In British English, gentle is pronounced /ˈdʒen.təl/. The narrow phonetic transcription is [ˈdʒẽn.tl̩].

How do you pronounce gentle in American English?

In American English, gentle is pronounced /ˈdʒen.t̯əl/.

How many syllables are in gentle?

Gentle has two syllables, /dʒen/ + /təl/.

Where is the stress in gentle?

The main stress is on the first syllable, /dʒen/.

Do British and American English pronounce gentle the same way?

No. British English has /ˈdʒen.təl/ and American English has /ˈdʒen.t̯əl/.

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Other Words With The Stress Pattern Oo

Nearby Words

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