How To Pronounce Voluntary

In British English, voluntary is pronounced /ˈvɒl.ən.tər.i/. The narrow phonetic transcription is [ˈvʷɒl.ə̃n.tər.i]. In American English, it is pronounced /ˈvɑː.lənˌter.i/.

Voluntary has four 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.