English pronunciation · Words Starting with U
Unable Pronunciation
Unable is pronounced uh-NAY-buhl, IPA /əˈneɪbəl/.
uh-NAY-buhl
US /əˈneɪbəl/ · UK /ʌˈneɪbəl/
Syllables: uh · NAY · buhl (3 syllables, stress on syllable 2)
adjective: Lacking the ability or the opportunity to do something.
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Unable in a Sentence
- We were unable to reach her all morning.
- He is unable to lift anything heavy.
- The lift is unable to take more than four.
Common Mispronunciations of Unable
Not UHN-ay-buhl
This un is unstressed and shrinks to a bare uh, which is why unable and enable are so hard to tell apart in speech. Only the sentence separates them.
Not uh-NA-buhl
That stressed vowel is the ay of day. Flattened, the middle beat turns into the nab of grab.
Tip: Three beats, uh-NAY-buhl. Unable means cannot and enable means to make possible, so the two are near opposites.
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