How To Pronounce Startle

In British English, startle is pronounced /ˈstɑː.təl/. The narrow phonetic transcription is [ˈstɑːʴ.tl̩]. In American English, it is pronounced /ˈstɑːr.t̯əl/.

Startle has two 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.