English pronunciation

How to pronounce “special

Phonetic spelling

SPESH-uhl

IPA /ˈspɛʃəɫ/

Syllable stress

spesh·uhl

Stress falls on the highlighted syllable.

How do you spell “special”?

s p e c i a l

special” is spelled S-P-E-C-I-A-L. It is pronounced SPESH-uhl, so the spelling and the sound do not match letter for letter. Listen to the audio above and say it aloud while you read the letters.

Hear it in a sentence

  • This is a special day for me.

  • She has a special talent for music.

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