English pronunciation · Words Starting with M

Medieval Pronunciation

Medieval is pronounced mi-DEE-vuhl, IPA /miˈdivəl/.

mi-DEE-vuhl

US /miˈdivəl/  ·  UK /ˈmɛdɪˌiːvəl/

Syllables: mi · DEE · vuhl (3 syllables, stress on syllable 2)

adjective: Belonging to the Middle Ages, roughly the fifth century to the fifteenth.

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Medieval in a Sentence

  • The town still has its medieval walls.
  • She studies medieval Latin manuscripts.
  • Half the church is medieval and the rest Victorian.

Common Mispronunciations of Medieval

Not ME-dee-val

The ending is a weak vuhl, and the strong syllable comes before it. A full val at the end sounds like a different word altogether.

Not me-DY-vuhl

The stressed vowel is a long ee, not the long i of die. The ie spelling here works as it does in field.

Tip: Americans usually manage three syllables, mi-DEE-vuhl, while British speakers often use four, me-di-EE-vuhl.

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