How to Pronounce “scalability”

American (US)

/ˌskeɪ.ləˈbɪl.ə.ti/

British (UK)

/ˌskeɪ.ləˈbɪl.ɪ.ti/

Australian (AU)

/ˌskæɪ.ləˈbɪl.ə.ti/

noun — The ability of a system to handle growing amounts of work.

Example: Scalability was never tested beyond a hundred users.

Where the stress falls. “scalability” has 5 syllables, and the transcription /ˌskeɪ.ləˈbɪl.ə.ti/ puts the primary stress mark (ˈ) before the third one — so the third syllable is the longest and loudest. The others are said quickly and lightly.

An unstressed vowel reduces to schwa. /ˌskeɪ.ləˈbɪl.ə.ti/ 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 "scalability" mean?

scalability (noun): The ability of a system to handle growing amounts of work. For example — Scalability was never tested beyond a hundred users.

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

American English: /ˌskeɪ.ləˈbɪl.ə.ti/. British English: /ˌskeɪ.ləˈbɪl.ɪ.ti/. Play both on this page to hear the difference.

What is the IPA transcription of "scalability"?

/ˌskeɪ.ləˈbɪl.ə.ti/ in American English, /ˌskeɪ.ləˈbɪl.ɪ.ti/ in British English, /ˌskæɪ.ləˈbɪl.ə.ti/ in Australian English.

Which syllable is stressed in "scalability"?

“scalability” has 5 syllables, and the transcription /ˌskeɪ.ləˈbɪl.ə.ti/ puts the primary stress mark (ˈ) before the third one — so the third syllable is the longest and loudest. The others are said quickly and lightly.