WORD STUDY
How to pronounce comfortable /ˈkʌmftəbəl/
Comfortable often has three syllables, not four: COMF-tuh-bul. Learn the reduced middle, the /ʌ/ spelled with o, and accent differences.
Broad IPA phonetic notation · general American / British
US /ˈkəmftərbəl/ · UK /ˈkʌmftəbəl/Syllables: 3
How to read these pronunciations
One reference reading per word and accent. Words such as read and wind can have other readings; this lookup does not choose by sentence meaning. Synthesized speech may use a different reading.
American results use dictionary respelling, as in ber. British results use broad IPA, as in /beə/. The sound chart and IPA lessons teach IPA separately. ˈ marks main stress and ˌ secondary stress; single-syllable words omit them.
American respelling key
- a
- cat
- ā
- day
- ä
- father
- e
- bed
- ē
- see
- i
- sit
- ī
- my
- ō
- go
- ô
- law
- o͞o
- food
- o͝o
- foot
- oi
- boy
- ou
- now
- ə
- cup, about
- ər
- bird, teacher
- er
- bear
- ir
- hear
- CH
- chip
- j
- jump
- SH
- ship
- ZH
- vision
- TH
- thin
- T͟H
- this
- NG
- sing
- y
- yes
Independently converted open dictionary data, using Oxford-style notation conventions. Not Oxford or Google dictionary content, and not affiliated with either publisher. Conversion does not verify every word or reproduce a particular dictionary edition.
Sources, conversion rules and licenses · US MIT · UK GPL-3.0
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Optional eSpeak NG: a mechanical voice generated on your device. It downloads from this site only when you choose it. Available for American and British English.
eSpeak NG · GPL-3.0 · SourceMeaning
Feeling physically relaxed or at ease.
The letters suggest four syllables, but many speakers say three, with stress on the first. The o is /ʌ/ as in cup, and the middle is reduced. A four-syllable reading also exists, particularly in careful speech.
Your practice sequence
- Say COMF alone, with /ʌ/ and a clear /mf/.
- Add tuh-bul quickly with weak vowels, keeping stress at the start.
- Say “This chair is comfortable”, with the sentence stress on chair and COMF.
This chair is comfortable.
Build the sound, step by step
Find each sound in the phonetics chart, then return here to practise it inside the word.
Explore the sound chart ↗Published 3 November 2026