Subtle pronunciation
Subtle has 2 syllables. The stress is on the first syllable, "suh". Capital letters in the respelling show where the stress falls.
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Subtle syllables
Subtle has 2 syllables: SUH-tuhl.
- SUHsʌ
- tuhltəl
SUT-ul, two syllables, and the b is silent. It rhymes with "cuttle", not "bottle" — the b is there from the Latin spelling and was never pronounced in English.
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.
Subtle in a sentence
- There is a subtle difference between the two shades of blue.
- His hint was too subtle for anyone to notice.
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.
- Extra syllable addedBlend adjacent sounds and avoid pronouncing silent letters.
- Vowel influenced too strongly by spellingLearn the sound using IPA and audio rather than pronouncing every written vowel.
- Final /l/ unclearKeep tongue-tip contact while raising the back of the tongue for a clear final /l/.
- Final consonant omittedHold the final mouth position briefly without adding another vowel.
- Schwa not reducedRelax unstressed vowels toward a short neutral sound.
Questions
How do you pronounce subtle?
Subtle is pronounced /ˈsʌ.təl/, or SUH-tuhl in plain letters. It has 2 syllables and the stress falls on the first syllable, "suh".
How many syllables are in subtle?
2: SUH-tuhl. The capital letters mark the stressed syllable.
How do you use subtle in a sentence?
There is a subtle difference between the two shades of blue. His hint was too subtle for anyone to notice.
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