TUR-muh-nuhl
/ˈtɝmənəl/
terminal is pronounced TUR-muh-nuhl (/ˈtɝmənəl/). Terminal describes something at or forming the end or extremity of something, or a final stage or point in a process. It can also denote a station or point where transport ends and connects, or a computer system that ends a session with a command. The term carries a formal, clinical, or technical tone depending on context.
Terminal describes something at or forming the end or extremity of something, or a final stage or point in a process. It can also denote a station or point where transport ends and connects, or a computer system that ends a session with a command. The term carries a formal, clinical, or technical tone depending on context.
"The terminal station is the last stop on the subway line."
"In healthcare, terminal indicates a diagnosis unlikely to improve with treatment."
"The computer terminal accepts input and displays output from the mainframe."
Pronounce as TER-muh-nuhl with primary stress on the first syllable: /ˈtɜːrmɪnəl/ (US/UK/AU share the same principal stress). The 'ter' sounds like 'term' without the 'm' closure, the 'i' is a short lax vowel, and the final 'al' reduces to a schwa + l, giving a light, unstressed ending: /-nəl/. For audio reference, imagine saying 'term' + 'in' + 'al' quickly in sequence: /ˈtɜːr.mɪ.nəl/.
Two common errors: (1) Misplacing stress on the second or third syllable, saying ter-MI-nal; keep the primary stress on the first syllable. (2) Overpronouncing the final -al as a full syllable ‘-ayl’ or ‘-ell’; instead aim for a reduced /-ənəl/ ending. Practice by over-articulating the first syllable softly, then abruptly relax into /ənəl/ for the tail. Always end with a light /l/.
Across US/UK/AU, the primary stress remains on the first syllable. US English often has a rhotic 'r' in /ˈtɜːr.mɪ.nəl/, with a slightly fuller middle vowel; UK and AU accents can be non-rhotic or variably rhotic, producing /ˈtɜː.mɪ.nəl/ with a lighter /r/ in non-rhotic varieties. Vowel quality in the first syllable stays close to /ɜː/ or a near-close mid central vowel depending on the speaker; final /əl/ tends to be a weak, schwa-like nucleus in all. Listen for the quick, non-syllabic realization of the middle: /ˈtɜː.mɪ.nəl/.
Key challenges are the first-syllable /ˈtɜːr/ with its tense, mid-back vowel and the rapid reduction of the final -al to /ənəl/. The combination of a central vowel in stressed syllable followed by a subtle, unstressed ending can trip non-native speakers, especially when aiming for natural rhythm in connected speech. Practice listening for the tight jaw stance in the first syllable and the soft, quick release into the /nəl/ ending to keep it fluid.
A unique feature is the nearly simultaneous articulation of /n/ and /l/ in the final two consonants, creating the /nəl/ cluster. You should avoid over-enunciating the l-sound; instead, let the /l/ be light and contact the alveolar ridge momentarily to produce a smooth /nəl/ sequence. This subtle alveolar release is critical for natural-sounding modern English in formal and technical speech.
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Terminal comes from the Latin terminus, meaning boundary or end, which itself stems from the verb terminare, to end or limit. The earliest English uses in the 15th century referred to a boundary or limit and later to the far end of something, such as a terminal point. In the 17th and 18th centuries, scientific and mathematical usage broadened to denote endpoints in geometrical figures and processes. By the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the term was adopted in transportation to denote stations that are final stops where passenger flow ends or is redirected. The modern computational sense—an input/output device at which a user can interact with a computer or network—emerged in the mid-20th century with the rise of mainframes and teletype machines, expanding the term to include end points in information systems and networking. Across contexts, terminal maintains the core sense of an ending or final point, with qualifiers (terminal illness, terminal station, terminal device) refining the scope to the relevant domain.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "terminal" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "terminal"
-nal sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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