How To Pronounce Criminal

In British English, criminal is pronounced /ˈkrɪm.ɪ.nəl/. The narrow phonetic transcription is [ˈkr̥ɪ̃m.ɪ.nəɫ]. In American English, it is pronounced /ˈkrɪm.ə.nəl/.

Criminal has three syllables, and the main stress falls on the first syllable. The British and American pronunciations are different, so listen to both.

Slashes / / show the phonemic transcription, the sounds that change meaning. Square brackets [ ] show the phonetic transcription, with the finer detail of how the sounds are actually made.