Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

controversial

/ˌkɑn.tɹəˈvɝ.ʃəl/

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.23 in modern English

Syllables
con-tro-ver-sial
IPA
/ˌkɑn.tɹəˈvɝ.ʃəl/
18
Scrabble Score
13
Letters
4
Syllables
11
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

Someone or something (such as a matter or an argument) that is controversial.

Archaic

Example Sentences

Etymology

From Latin contrōversiālis, from contrōversia + -ālis. By surface analysis, controversy + -al.

Origin

Word Breakdown

  • Root: contrōversiālis

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˌkɑn.tɹəˈvɝ.ʃəl/
  • British English: /ˌkɒn.tɹəˈvɜː.ʃəl/

Usage

Inflected Forms

more controversial (comparative) most controversial (superlative) controversional (alternative, nonstandard) controversials (plural)

Derived Forms

Frequently Paired Words

Synonyms

Antonyms

Rhymes With

Questions

How do you pronounce controversial?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˌkɑn.tɹəˈvɝ.ʃəl/.
What does controversial mean?
Arousing or likely to arouse controversy.
Where does controversial come from?
It is traced to Latin.

How to pronounce controversial

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “controversial”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˌkɑn.tɹəˈvɝ.ʃəl/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “controversial”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “controversial” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.