Alum pronunciation
Alum has 2 syllables. The stress is on the first syllable, "a". Capital letters in the respelling show where the stress falls.
Say alum and check it
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Press record, say "alum" once or twice at normal speed, then stop. You will see which syllables matched and what to change.
Alum syllables
Alum has 2 syllables: A-luhm.
- Aæ
- luhmləm
Two syllables: AL-um. Not the same as "alumni".
Sounds to watch
The l sound
Touch the tongue tip to the ridge behind your top teeth. At the end of a syllable the l is darker and the back of the tongue rises.
Weak syllables
The unstressed syllables use a short, relaxed uh (schwa). Rushing through them lightly is correct; giving them a full vowel sounds unnatural.
The a in cat
Open the jaw wider than for eh and spread the lips slightly. The a in cat is a distinct vowel, not eh or ah.
Alum in a sentence
- Alum is used to keep pickles crisp.
- He is an alum of the same university, class of 2010.
Read either sentence into the recorder above. The check judges only the target word, so the rest of the sentence can be rough.
What Speakeroo listens for
These are the pronunciation patterns from Speakeroo’s speech feature catalog that this target tends to expose. The check above reports the ones it hears.
- Final consonant omittedHold the final mouth position briefly without adding another vowel.
- Schwa not reducedRelax unstressed vowels toward a short neutral sound.
- Every syllable stressed equallyEmphasise one main syllable and reduce the others.
Questions
How do you pronounce alum?
Alum is pronounced /ˈæ.ləm/, or A-luhm in plain letters. It has 2 syllables and the stress falls on the first syllable, "a".
How many syllables are in alum?
2: A-luhm. The capital letters mark the stressed syllable.
How do you use alum in a sentence?
Alum is used to keep pickles crisp. He is an alum of the same university, class of 2010.
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