How To Pronounce Parallel

In British English, parallel is pronounced /ˈpær.ə.lel/. The narrow phonetic transcription is [ˈpʰær.ə.leɫ]. In American English, it is pronounced /ˈper.ə.lel/.

Parallel 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.