English pronunciation · Words Starting with P
Potential Pronunciation
Potential is pronounced puh-TEN-shuhl, IPA /pəˈtɛnʃəl/.
puh-TEN-shuhl
US /pəˈtɛnʃəl/ · UK /pəˈtɛnʃəl/
Syllables: puh · TEN · shuhl (3 syllables, stress on syllable 2)
adjective and noun: Possible but not yet actual, or the ability something has to develop.
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Potential in a Sentence
- She has real potential as a cellist.
- This is a potential problem for next year.
- The site has potential for forty homes.
Common Mispronunciations of Potential
Not POH-ten-shuhl
That first syllable is reduced almost out of existence, and TEN carries everything.
Not puh-TEN-see-uhl
Three beats. The tial ending is one sh plus a weak uhl, the pattern in essential and initial.
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