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Pronunciation

How to pronounce “adequate”

“adequate” is pronounced /ˈædəkwət/ (A-duh-kwuht) in American English and /adɪkwət/ in British English, and /ˈædəˌkweɪt/ is also accepted — 3 syllables, stressed on “æ”.
The sound

Say “adequate” in 3 beats

Say it like this

adequate

/ˈædəkwət/

The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /adɪkwət/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.

3 beats
  1. ææstress
  2. dədə
  3. kwətkwət
IPA (American)
/ˈædəkwət/
IPA (British)
/adɪkwət/
Also accepted
/ˈædəˌkweɪt/
Respelling
A-duh-kwuht
Syllables
3 — Æ-də-kwət
Stress
Stress the first syllable: Æ-də-kwət. “æ” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Part of speech
adjective
Difficulty
Pro — the sounds are ordinary, the rhythm is where it slips
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˈædəkwət/

British

/adɪkwət/

No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.

Meaning

What “adequate” means

  1. adjective

    having the requisite qualities or resources to meet a task

    “she had adequate training”

  2. adjective

    sufficient for the purpose

    “an adequate income”

  3. adjective

    about average; acceptable

    “more than adequate as a secretary”

Say it in a sentence

“One coat of paint was not adequate for such a dark wall.”
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

6 sounds, in the order you say them
æshort addəschwa×2kkwwtt

Each sound has its own page: where the tongue goes, what it is usually confused with, and words to drill it on.

Questions

“adequate”, answered

How do you pronounce “adequate”?

“adequate” is pronounced /ˈædəkwət/ (A-duh-kwuht) in American English and /adɪkwət/ in British English, and /ˈædəˌkweɪt/ is also accepted — 3 syllables, stressed on “æ”. Build it as Æ-də-kwət, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “adequate” have?

3: æ · də · kwət. The beat lands on the first, “æ”.

Is “adequate” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈædəkwət/ (A-duh-kwuht); British English says /adɪkwət/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “adequate” mean?

As an adjective: having the requisite qualities or resources to meet a task For example: “she had adequate training” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “adequate”?

Stress the first syllable: Æ-də-kwət. “æ” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

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