English pronunciation · Words Starting with I
Imperial Pronunciation
Imperial is pronounced im-PI-ree-uhl, IPA /ˌɪmˈpɪriəl/.
im-PI-ree-uhl
US /ˌɪmˈpɪriəl/ · UK /ɪmˈpiərɪəl/
Syllables: im · PI · ree · uhl (4 syllables, stress on syllable 2)
adjective: Belonging to an empire or an emperor, or describing the older British system of weights and measures.
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Imperial in a Sentence
- The imperial court moved north in the autumn.
- Older recipes still use imperial measures.
- An imperial gallon is larger than an American one.
Common Mispronunciations of Imperial
Not im-PUR-ee-uhl
The loud beat holds the vowel of here and pier, not the ur of her. Experience and serious carry the same block.
Not IM-pee-ree-uhl
The opening im is a run-up with nothing on it, and PEER takes the whole lift.
Tip: Empire, emperor and imperial share a root but not a vowel, and only imperial opens with a short i.
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