Pronunciation · Academic and IELTS words
How to pronounce “comparable”
KOM-puh-ruh-bul
4 syllables · stress on “KOM”
In short
Say “comparable” in 3 steps
- 1Stress the first syllable: KOM-puh-ruh-bul.
- 2This is a different pattern from compare — do not carry that stress across.
- 3The second-syllable version is heard from some speakers, but first-syllable stress is the standard reference form.
The version to avoid
Commonly said as: kum-PAR-uh-bul — borrowing the stress from the verb “compare”
The verb compare stresses its second syllable, and the adjective comparable moves it to the first. The two words look related enough that the shift feels arbitrary.
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Real speakers
No free human recording of “comparable” exists yet in the public archives we draw on, so the audio above is our model voice. It is accurate for this word — a human clip would simply add natural variation on top.
Practise it out loud
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Say it yourself
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The sounds inside this word
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More academic and ielts words
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Frequently asked questions
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