How to pronounce illegal
illegal
/ɪˈliːgəl/
3 syllables, stress on the second
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Illegal, sound by sound
| /ɪ/as in ship | A short, relaxed sound. Do not stretch it into “ee”. |
| /l/as in look | Tongue tip on the ridge behind the teeth; air flows around the sides. |
| /iː/as in sheep | A long, tense “ee”; lips spread as in a smile. |
| /g/as in go | A voiced “g”. Do not turn it into “k” at the end of a word. |
| /ə/as in cup | A short, relaxed “uh”; the mouth is barely open. |
| /l/as in look | Tongue tip on the ridge behind the teeth; air flows around the sides. |
In a sentence
"Is that an illegal taxi?" I asked him.
More words with the /ɪ/ sound
- tinnitus/ˈtɪnɪtəs/
- vignette/vɪnˈjet/
- kyrgyzstan/ˈkɪrgɪstæn/
- fatima/ˈfæθɪmə/
- niche/nɪtʃ/
- yvonne/ɪˈvɑːn/
- ubiquitous/juːˈbɪkwɪtəs/
- iran/ɪˈrɑːn/
- nvidia/ˈenˈvɪdiːə/
- this/ðɪs/
Questions and answers
How do you pronounce illegal?
Illegal is pronounced /ɪˈliːgəl/ in American English.
How many syllables are in illegal?
Illegal has 3 syllables.
Which syllable is stressed in illegal?
The second syllable: /ɪˈliːgəl/.