Hi, I'm Alex 👋
This is one of my Tackle Tricky Words shorts. It’s only 12 seconds, so watch it a few times and say it with me.
You think you know how to say comfortable… until a native speaker says /ˈkʌmftəbl/. 😮 It has three syllables, not four: COMF-tuh-bl. The “or” in the middle disappears!
My trick: pretend it’s spelled differently. Picture “comf-ta-ble” and say that. The same thing happens in vegetable (VEJ-tuh-bl) and chocolate (CHOK-lut).
▶️ Watch and read along
Comfortable
- Alex: How do you pronounce this word?
- Alex: <mark>Comfortable</mark>. Comfortable.
- Alex: Pretend it’s <mark>spelled like this</mark>. <mark>Three syllables</mark>.
- Alex: Comf-ta-ble.
- Alex: Comfortable.
📖 Words that lose a syllable
- comfortable: COMF-tuh-bl (3), not com-for-ta-ble (4)
- vegetable: VEJ-tuh-bl (3)
- chocolate: CHOK-lut (2)
- different: DIF-runt (2)
- interesting: IN-truh-sting (3)
🃏 Words from this episode
- comfortable: pleasant to sit in or wear; relaxed. /ˈkʌmftəbl/: three syllables
- syllable: one beat in a word. Clap them: COMF-ta-ble = 3
- vegetable: same pattern: VEJ-tuh-bl, three syllables
- uncomfortable: not comfortable; awkward. un-COMF-tuh-bl
🔽 Exercise 1: Count the syllables
- <b>comfortable</b>
- <b>vegetable</b>
- <b>chocolate</b>
- <b>different</b>
- <b>interesting</b>
🔗 Exercise 2: Match the word to how it sounds
- comfortable
- vegetable
- chocolate
- different
✍️ Exercise 3: Complete the sentences
- “How do you ___ this word?”
- “Pretend it’s ___ like this.”
- “Three ___.”
- “This sofa is really ___.”
🔤 More tricky words
- How to pronounce QUEUE
- How to pronounce HIERARCHY
- Though, through, thorough, thought, throughout
- How to pronounce REQUIEM
See them all on Tackle Tricky Words.
Try it now: “Make yourself comfortable!” Three syllables. Which tricky word should I do next? Tell me in the comments on YouTube! 🇬🇧
Alex