How to pronounce "neandertal" in English
nean·der·tal
Hear native speakers say neandertal in context across real video clips
mixtures upon mixtures and the coolest mixture again with a Harvard connection is the recognition that we mixed with neander tals on the way out from Africa and about a quarter of your genome is neandertal for example so all of that is and about a quarter of your genome is neandertal for example so all of that is
Linguistic Pronunciation Masterclass: “neandertal”
Phonetic mechanics, syllable architecture, and conversational cadence
Syllable Architecture & Stress Distribution
nean
Reduced vowel sound, relaxed jaw, and minimal vocal effort.
der
Reduced vowel sound, relaxed jaw, and minimal vocal effort.
tal
Reduced vowel sound, relaxed jaw, and minimal vocal effort.
Keep the vowel length balanced, placing subtle emphasis on the root morpheme according to standard conversational rhythm.
Common Pronunciation Traps & Learner Mistakes
The Trap: Avoid pronouncing every vowel with full acoustic weight. Non-native speakers often over-enunciate unstressed vowels.
How Native Speakers Say It: Only give full vowel clarity to the primary stressed syllable. Relax all unstressed vowels into a neutral, low-energy schwa (⁄ə⁄).
Connected Speech & Natural Conversational Flow
When "neandertal" is followed by a word starting with a vowel, glide the final consonant into the opening vowel (e.g. "neandertal is" sounds like "neandertal-iz").
Maintain the stress-timed rhythm of English: compress unstressed syllables rapidly so the beat of "neandertal" aligns naturally with adjacent words.
Authentic Spoken Quotes from Native Video Context
“is the recognition that we mixed with neander tals on the way out from Africa and about a quarter of your genome is neandertal for example so all of that is”— Harvard UniversityWatch clip
“but this does not mean that Dennis ens made it with the human ancestors of modern Asians instead it turns out that Dennis ens had a lot of neandertal DNA”— SciShowWatch clip
“evolution so basically if you look at neandertal genes for example which again happened long after that uh”— Native SpeakerWatch clip
“19 60s and there are thousands of published dates relevant to the question of neandertal modern human interactions the problem is most of”— Harvard UniversityWatch clip
“length of neandertal DNA and our genes to determine just how long it's been there and they found that modern humans last exchanged genes if you know what I”— SciShowWatch clip
“might explain why neandertal genes appear in pretty much every population on Earth today but they're most common outside of Africa and now you know where”— SciShowWatch clip
Practice Speaking “neandertal”
Listen to native pronunciation, record yourself repeating the sentence into your microphone, and receive real-time word-by-word accuracy scoring.
is the recognition that we mixed with neander tals on the way out from Africa and about a quarter of your genome is neandertal for example so all of that is
Hear it in context: “neandertal”
11 clipsThe English word “neandertal”. Phonologically, it consists of 3 syllables (nean · der · tal). Grammatically, “neandertal” functions as a noun, adjective. SayItVid indexes 11 authentic English video clips demonstrating how native speakers articulate “neandertal” in natural connected speech across American (US: 8 sampled), British (UK), and Australian (AUS) accents, including verified broadcasts from Harvard University, SciShow.
Spoken Video Transcripts & Contextual Quotes (5 Verified Clips)
- 🇺🇸 USHarvard UniversityClip #1 · @8:18
“mixtures upon mixtures and the coolest mixture again with a Harvard connection is the recognition that we mixed with neander tals on the way out from Africa and about a quarter of your genome is neandertal for example so all of that is and about a quarter of your genome is neandertal for example so all of that is”
- 🇺🇸 USSciShowClip #2 · @1:30
“Aborigines also show Hefty genetic contributions from the the Dennis ens but this does not mean that Dennis ens made it with the human ancestors of modern Asians instead it turns out that Dennis ens had a lot of neandertal DNA modern Asians instead it turns out that Dennis ens had a lot of neandertal DNA”
- 🇺🇸 USClip #3 · @14:21
“you know all of this sort of human history of evolution so basically if you look at neandertal genes for example which again happened long after that uh genes for example which again happened long after that uh”
- 🇺🇸 USHarvard UniversityClip #4 · @33:57
“in this case 30,000 years BP or before present we've had this method since the 19 60s and there are thousands of published dates relevant to the question of neandertal modern human interactions the problem is most of of neandertal modern human interactions the problem is most of”
- 🇺🇸 USSciShowClip #5 · @4:36
“of geneticists at Harvard University said that it was able to measure the length of neandertal DNA and our genes to determine just how long it's been there and they found that modern humans last exchanged genes if you know what I there and they found that modern humans last exchanged genes if you know what I”
Definition & Meaning: “neandertal”
- Alternative spelling of Neanderthal.
- Alternative spelling of Neanderthal.
Example Sentences (3)
- “Neandertal ancestors”
- “is the recognition that we mixed with neander tals on the way out from Africa and about a quarter of your genome is neandertal for example so all of that is”
- “but this does not mean that Dennis ens made it with the human ancestors of modern Asians instead it turns out that Dennis ens had a lot of neandertal DNA”
Common Phrases & Collocations
Pronounce: “neandertal”
- Syllables:
- nean · der · tal
- Hear it in context
- neandertal
Words that Sound Identical (Homophones)
Unique Sound"neandertal" has no true homophones in standard English — there are no other words with identical pronunciation. Unlike sound-alike pairs like there / their or peace / piece, "neandertal" has a completely distinct phonetic identity.
Frequently asked questions about neandertal
How many syllables are in “neandertal”?
“neandertal” has 3 syllables: nean · der · tal.
What does “neandertal” mean?
Alternative spelling of Neanderthal.
How can I hear “neandertal” used in real sentences?
This page has 11 real-world video examples of “neandertal” with synchronized subtitles. Use Previous / Next (or ← / → keys) to hear each one at the exact moment it is spoken.
What is the most common pronunciation mistake when saying “neandertal”?
Avoid pronouncing every vowel with full acoustic weight. Non-native speakers often over-enunciate unstressed vowels. Only give full vowel clarity to the primary stressed syllable. Relax all unstressed vowels into a neutral, low-energy schwa (⁄ə⁄).