literal

/ˈlɪtərəl/

Syllables lit·er·al

Stress LIT-er-al

Phonics Breakdown

lit

/lɪt/

short i

er

/ər/

schwa

al

/əl/

schwa

Meaning

exact, word-for-word; not figurative

Sound Reference

💡

lit=/lɪt/(little) + er=/ər/(teacher) + al=/əl/(animal)

Example

This is the literal meaning of the word.