pronunciation - How to pronounce to differ spatial from special?


It always bugged me that I do not know how to differentiate "spatial" from "special". I would just say "space" to be clear when "spatial" is the grammatically correct choice. Are the standard pronunciations different? If not, is there a way to indicate that I am saying either of the two?



Answer



The long 'a' in 'spatial' is a diphthong made by combining a short 'e', like the start of 'elephant', and a long 'e', like the start of 'eel'. Like other diphthongs, these two sounds should meld together quickly and smoothly so that they appear as a single sound.


The short 'e' in 'special', is not a diphthong and sounds like the short 'e' at the beginning of 'elephant'.


You could make a further distinction between the two words by pronouncing the 't' in 'spatial' as an 's' sound, producing 'SPAY-seal'. It will be understood by most people and make you sound like Jean-Luc Picard, captain of the Enterprise (Star Trek television show.)


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