How to pronounce optional

Say it like this: /ˈɑp.ʃə.nəl/. Listen to real recordings below and compare how it sounds in different accents.

British/ˈɒp.ʃə.nəl/

What does optional mean?

adjNot compulsory; left to personal choice; elective.

“On that beach clothing is entirely optional.”

nounSomething that is not compulsory, especially part of an academic course.

In various programming languages, a kind of variable that is assigned a specific data type but may or may not hold an actual value.

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opportunity optical optimization option oracle oral orange order

Pronunciations and meanings from Wiktionary via kaikki.org, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Recordings by Wikimedia Commons contributors. This page is shared under the same license.