How to pronounce "ordinals" in English
ˈɔːrdᵊnəlz
ORD·ᵊnəlz
Primary stress: ORD
Hear native speakers say ordinals in context across real video clips
Linguistic Pronunciation Masterclass: “ordinals”
Phonetic mechanics, syllable architecture, and conversational cadence
Syllable Architecture & Stress Distribution
ORD
Tense long vowel with sustained acoustic resonance.
ᵊnəlz
Neutral schwa (⁄ə⁄): relaxed jaw, brief unstressed breath.
Primary emphasis falls on the first syllable ("ORD"). Raise your pitch and sustain the vowel length on this syllable while relaxing the surrounding syllables.
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 "ordinals" is followed by a word starting with a vowel, glide the final consonant into the opening vowel (e.g. "ordinals is" sounds like "ordinals-iz").
In natural sentences, avoid over-stressing "ordinals" unless it conveys the core contrast or focal point of your message.
Authentic Spoken Quotes from Native Video Context
“And if you didn't take high school Latin, this is a great chance to learn the ordinals in Latin.”— MIT OpenCourseWareWatch clip
“ordinals for those in Chinese Japanese and Korean for those in languages for”— Harvard UniversityWatch clip
“So you get to learn your Latin ordinals.”— MIT OpenCourseWareWatch clip
“But, after you get to four, it's strictly the Latin ordinals.”— MIT OpenCourseWareWatch clip
Practice Speaking “ordinals”
Listen to native pronunciation, record yourself repeating the sentence into your microphone, and receive real-time word-by-word accuracy scoring.
And if you didn't take high school Latin, this is a great chance to learn the ordinals in Latin.
Hear it in context: “ordinals”
4 clipsThe English word “ordinals” is transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) as ˈɔːrdᵊnəlz (phonetic respelling: ORD-ᵊnəlz). Phonologically, it consists of 2 syllables (ORD · ᵊnəlz), with primary lexical stress placed on the 1st (initial) syllable (ORD). Grammatically, “ordinals” functions as a noun. SayItVid indexes 4 authentic English video clips demonstrating how native speakers articulate “ordinals” in natural connected speech across American (US: 4 sampled), British (UK), and Australian (AUS) accents, including verified broadcasts from MIT OpenCourseWare, Harvard University.
Spoken Video Transcripts & Contextual Quotes (4 Verified Clips)
- 🇺🇸 USMIT OpenCourseWareClip #1 · @9:25
“heptane, and so on. And if you didn't take high school Latin, this is a great chance to learn the ordinals in Latin. chance to learn the ordinals in Latin.”
- 🇺🇸 USHarvard UniversityClip #2 · @7:15
“ordinal numbers it has different instructions for English language ordinals for those in Chinese Japanese and Korean for those in languages for which the usage is ascertainable and for those in languages”
- 🇺🇸 USMIT OpenCourseWareClip #3 · @10:42
“OK, so that's good. So you get to learn your Latin ordinals. Now these are also termed straight chains.”
- 🇺🇸 USMIT OpenCourseWareClip #4 · @10:30
“And, you can go into the reading and figure out butyric acid is one of the elements in rancid butter and so on. So, there is some historical reasons. But, after you get to four, it's strictly the Latin ordinals. From here on, this is pent, and reasons. But, after you get to four,”
Definition & Meaning: “ordinals”
- Numbers that define the position of something in a series, such as first, second, or third.
Example Sentences (3)
- “The teacher asked the students to write down all the ordinals from one to ten.”
- “And if you didn't take high school Latin, this is a great chance to learn the ordinals in Latin.”
- “ordinals for those in Chinese Japanese and Korean for those in languages for”
Common Phrases & Collocations
Pronounce: “ordinals”
- Pronunciation:
- ORD-ᵊnəlz
- Syllables:
- ORD · ᵊnəlz
- Written Hyphenation:
- or · di · nals
- Primary stress:
- ORD
- IPA:
- ˈɔːrdᵊnəlz
- Hear it in context
- ordinals
Words that Rhyme with “ordinals”
-ɔrdᵊnəlzWords that Sound Identical (Homophones)
Unique Sound"ordinals" (⁄ˈɔːrdᵊnəlz⁄) 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, "ordinals" has a completely distinct phonetic identity.
Frequently asked questions about ordinals
How do you pronounce “ordinals”?
“ordinals” is pronounced ⁄ˈɔːrdᵊnəlz⁄ (ORD-ᵊnəlz). Listen to the native-speaker clips above to hear it in real conversation.
How many syllables are in “ordinals”?
“ordinals” has 2 syllables: ORD · ᵊnəlz.
Where is the stress in “ordinals”?
The primary stress in “ordinals” is on “ORD”. Listen for that stressed syllable in the clips above.
What does “ordinals” mean?
Numbers that define the position of something in a series, such as first, second, or third.
How can I hear “ordinals” used in real sentences?
This page has 4 real-world video examples of “ordinals” 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 “ordinals”?
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⁄).