preferential

/ˌprefəˈrenʃəl/

Syllables pref·er·en·tial

Stress PREF-er-EN-tial

Phonics Breakdown

pref

/pref/

short e

er

/ər/

schwa

en

/en/

short e

tial

/ʃəl/

-tion suffix

Meaning

giving or showing preference; favored

Sound Reference

💡

pref=/pref/(prefer) + er=/ər/(teacher) + en=/en/(pen) + tial=/ʃəl/(social)

Example

Small businesses receive preferential treatment under the new policy.