Pronunciation

How to pronounce “alleviate

“alleviate” is pronounced /əˈliviˌeɪt/ (uh-LEE-vee-ayt) in American English and /ɐliːvɪeɪt/ in British English — 4 syllables, stressed on “lev”.
The sound

Say “alleviate” in 4 beats

Say it like this

alleviate

/əˈliviˌeɪt/

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

4 beats
  1. alə
  2. levlistress
  3. iatvi
  4. eeɪt
IPA (American)
/əˈliviˌeɪt/
IPA (British)
/ɐliːvɪeɪt/
Respelling
uh-LEE-vee-ayt
Syllables
4 — al-LEV-iat-e
Stress
Stress the second syllable: al-LEV-iat-e. “lev” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Part of speech
verb
Difficulty
Pro — the sounds are ordinary, the rhythm is where it slips
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/əˈliviˌeɪt/

British

/ɐliːvɪeɪt/

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

Meaning

What “alleviate” means

  1. verb

    provide physical relief, as from pain

    This pill will relieve your headaches

  2. verb

    make easier

    you could facilitate the process by sharing your knowledge

Say it in a sentence

A hot bath did something to alleviate the ache in her back.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

6 sounds, in the order you say them

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

Questions

alleviate”, answered

How do you pronounce “alleviate”?

“alleviate” is pronounced /əˈliviˌeɪt/ (uh-LEE-vee-ayt) in American English and /ɐliːvɪeɪt/ in British English — 4 syllables, stressed on “lev”. Build it as al-LEV-iat-e, then run the second syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “alleviate” have?

4: al · lev · iat · e. The beat lands on the second, “lev”.

Is “alleviate” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /əˈliviˌeɪt/ (uh-LEE-vee-ayt); British English says /ɐliːvɪeɪt/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “alleviate” mean?

As a verb: provide physical relief, as from pain For example: “This pill will relieve your headaches” It carries 1 other sense as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “alleviate”?

Stress the second syllable: al-LEV-iat-e. “lev” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “alleviate” and see every sound

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