How to Pronounce Literally

To pronounce "literally", say LIT-er-ally — 3 syllables, IPA /ˈɫɪtɝəɫi/. Tap play below to hear it in four English accents, or practice it syllable by syllable.

literally

Tap to hear · American accent

Accent

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Speed

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3

Syllables

9

Letters

/ˈɫɪtɝəɫi/

🇺🇸 IPA (US)

/lˈɪtəɹəli/

🇬🇧 IPA (UK)

💡 Tip for remembering “literally”

"literally" has 3 syllables: lit-er-ally.

What does literally mean?

adverb

  1. Word for word; not figuratively; not as an idiom or metaphor

    “When I saw on the news that there would be no school tomorrow because of the snowstorm, I literally jumped for joy, and hit my head on the ceiling fan.”

  2. (degree, contranym) Used non-literally as an intensifier for figurative statements: virtually, so to speak (often considered incorrect; see usage notes)

    “He was so surprised, he literally jumped twenty feet in the air.”

Synonyms

actuallyreallymerelyvirtually

Antonyms

figurativelymetaphoricallyvirtually

Hear “literally” in real sentences

Real example sentences from Tatoeba (CC-BY) — tap to hear each one, or see it used on YouGlish.

Related words

virtuallyverbatimbasicallypracticallyreallyexplicitlyexactlyprecisely

Frequently asked questions

How many syllables are in "literally"?▾

"Literally" has 3 syllables: lit · er · ally.

What is the IPA transcription of "literally"?▾

The IPA transcription of "literally" is /ˈɫɪtɝəɫi/.

What does "literally" mean?▾

Literally: Word for word; not figuratively; not as an idiom or metaphor

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