How to pronounce hotel in American English

IPA /hoʊˈtɛl/ Syllables 2 · hoh·tehl Stress 2nd syllable

hoh·TEHL

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Americans pronounce hotel as hoh-TEHL (/hoʊˈtɛl/). Stress falls on the second syllable — keep everything else short and quick.

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Sounds

75%

Clarity

68%

Stress

78%

Intonation

65%

Fluency

62%

Overall assessment

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72% Noticeable accent

Common mistakes

Treating every L the same.

The L in "hotel" is a dark L — the back of the tongue rises toward the soft palate, adding a small "uh" quality before the L. Dark L adds a small schwa-like "uh" before the L. The back of the tongue lifts toward the soft palate.

Stressing the wrong syllable.

Stress falls on the second syllable, not the others. Stretch TEHL — keep everything else short and quick.

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In real conversation

Hear "hotel" in the wild.

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"He took a taxi from the airport to the hotel downtown."

hee TUUK uh TAK·see fruhm dhee AIR·port tuh dhuh hoh·TEHL down·TOWN

"The hotel pool is open until ten o'clock."

dhuh hoh·TEHL POOL ihz OH·puhn uhn·TIHL TEHN uh·KLAHK

"The hotel suite smells like sweet fruit."

dhuh hoh·TEHL SWEET SMEHLZ LAHYK SWEET FROOT

"We need to check in at the hotel before three p.m."

wee NEED tuh CHEHK IHN uht dhuh hoh·TEHL buh·FOR THREE pee·EHM

Watch out

Common pronunciation mistakes in American English.

The textbook way isn't wrong — it's just not how anyone actually says it.

Treating every L the same.

hotel→hoh·TEHL

Stressing the wrong syllable.

Stress falls on the second syllable, not the others. Stretch TEHL — keep everything else short and quick.

HOH·tehl→hoh·TEHL

Questions

Questions people ask about this.

How is "hotel" stressed in American English?

Stress falls on the second syllable — say "TEHL" with a longer, fuller vowel and keep every other syllable short and quick. The respell "hoh-TEHL" marks the stressed syllable in capitals so the rhythm is easy to read at a glance.

Is the American pronunciation of "hotel" different from British English?

American English uses different vowel shapes, a relaxed retroflex R, and connected-speech tricks like flap-T and glottal-stop T that British Received Pronunciation generally avoids. The respell "hoh-TEHL" reflects the casual American form; British dictionaries typically print a citation form with crisper consonants and different vowel choices.

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Common mistakes

Treating every L the same.

Stressing the wrong syllable.

Hear "hotel" in the wild.

Words that work the same way.

Common pronunciation mistakes in American English.

Treating every L the same.

Stressing the wrong syllable.

Questions people ask about this.

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