How to Pronounce “available”

American (US)

/əˈveɪləbəl/

British (UK)

/əˈveɪləbəl/

adjective — Able to be used or obtained; free to be seen or spoken to.

Example: No seats are available on that flight.

Synonyms: obtainable, free

Antonyms: unavailable

The final e is silent. The transcription /əˈveɪləbəl/ ends on a consonant sound, so the written e at the end of “available” is not pronounced.

Where the stress falls. “available” has 4 syllables, and the transcription /əˈveɪləbəl/ puts the primary stress mark (ˈ) before the second one — so the second syllable is the longest and loudest. The others are said quickly and lightly.

An unstressed vowel reduces to schwa. /əˈveɪləbəl/ contains a schwa /ə/ — the short, neutral “uh” that English unstressed syllables collapse into. Saying /ə/ there, instead of the vowel the spelling suggests, is most of what makes the word sound native.

What does "available" mean?

available (adjective): Able to be used or obtained; free to be seen or spoken to. For example — No seats are available on that flight.

How do you pronounce "available" in American vs British English?

Both accents use the same sequence of phonemes for "available", /əˈveɪləbəl/, so the difference you hear is in how the vowels are coloured rather than in which sounds are used. Play both on this page to compare.

What is the IPA transcription of "available"?

/əˈveɪləbəl/ in American English, /əˈveɪləbəl/ in British English.

Which syllable is stressed in "available"?

“available” has 4 syllables, and the transcription /əˈveɪləbəl/ puts the primary stress mark (ˈ) before the second one — so the second syllable is the longest and loudest. The others are said quickly and lightly.

• -ABLE and -IBLE words