Hadar Shemesh breaks down how to pronounce literally, from the heavy L at the start to the flapped T that sounds like a light D. She walks through each syllable and stress pattern so you can say it right instead of using it as filler.
Questions this episode answers
Hadar Shemesh.
63. How to pronounce 'literally'.
2020-09-18.
Hadar Accentsway.
Welcome to the Influency podcast, and this is your how to Pronounce Friday, where I share with you the pronunciation secrets of tricky and confusing words.
I literally use literally in every other sentence. Hey, it's hadar. And this is the accent. Sweet. And today we're going to talk about the word literally. Literally is one of those literally abused words in the language, because people use it not only when they need to use it, but also as a filler word, which is a valid reason for us to practice it, to say it correctly, literally. Let's start with the first syllable. You start with an l sound, and then it's the e as in sit. It's not literally. It's. Notice that the L is a little heavier. It's not super light li, li, but a little heavier. You engage the back of the tongue. Li, li. This is the first syllable is also the primary stress, so it's longer and higher in pitch l. Then the second syllable is a flap T, which sounds like a D lit, but it's not a strong D. It's a very, very light D. It's a strong, very small tap. Little. Can you hear that? Little. And a schwa right after which is a reduced vowel. And then an R sound to round your lips. Bring the tongue up. You have to hear this continuous tense sound. And then a schwa. Litera, litera. And then you bring the tongue up for another l and then end it with a high E. Li. It's a secondary stress, so it's going to be a little longer than the previous two syllables, the two schwas, literally. Ta, da, ta, ta. Literally. All right, that's it. I'm literally done. And I hope this was helpful, and I would literally appreciate it if you literally share this with literally all your friends. Literally.
Okay, that was your how to Pronounce Friday episode. I hope you enjoyed it. And if you like the podcast, then consider subscribing to the podcast. And if you feel really crazy, you can even rate and review the podcast. And you can find me at Hadar Accentsway on Instagram, where you can DM me and ask for all the crazy fancy, see confusing words that you'd like to know how to pronounce. Have a beautiful day and I'll see you next time.
