How to Pronounce “vegetable”

American (US)

/ˈvedʒtəbəl/

British (UK)

/ˈvedʒtəbəl/

Australian (AU)

/ˈved͡ʒ.tə.bəl/

noun — A plant or part of a plant eaten as food, usually savoury rather than sweet.

Example: Roast the vegetables at a high heat.

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

Where the stress falls. “vegetable” has 3 syllables, and the transcription /ˈvedʒtəbəl/ puts the primary stress mark (ˈ) before the first one — so the first syllable is the longest and loudest. The others are said quickly and lightly.

An unstressed vowel reduces to schwa. /ˈvedʒtəbəl/ 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 "vegetable" mean?

vegetable (noun): A plant or part of a plant eaten as food, usually savoury rather than sweet. For example — Roast the vegetables at a high heat.

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

Both accents use the same sequence of phonemes for "vegetable", /ˈvedʒtəbəl/, 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 "vegetable"?

/ˈvedʒtəbəl/ in American English, /ˈvedʒtəbəl/ in British English, /ˈved͡ʒ.tə.bəl/ in Australian English.

Which syllable is stressed in "vegetable"?

“vegetable” has 3 syllables, and the transcription /ˈvedʒtəbəl/ puts the primary stress mark (ˈ) before the first one — so the first syllable is the longest and loudest. The others are said quickly and lightly.

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