Pronunciation

How to pronounce “appropriate

“appropriate” is pronounced /əˈpɹoʊpɹiət/ (uh-PROH-pree-uht) in American English and /ɐpɹəʊpɹɪət/ in British English, and /əˈpɹoʊpɹiˌeɪt/ is also accepted — 4 syllables, stressed on “rop”.
The sound

Say “appropriate” in 4 beats

Say it like this

appropriate

/əˈpɹoʊpɹiət/

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

4 beats
  1. appə
  2. roppɹoʊstress
  3. riatpɹi
  4. eət
IPA (American)
/əˈpɹoʊpɹiət/
IPA (British)
/ɐpɹəʊpɹɪət/
Also accepted
/əˈpɹoʊpɹiˌeɪt/
Respelling
uh-PROH-pree-uht
Syllables
4 — app-ROP-riat-e
Stress
Stress the second syllable: app-ROP-riat-e. “rop” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Part of speech
verb, adjective
Difficulty
Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/əˈpɹoʊpɹiət/

British

/ɐpɹəʊpɹɪət/

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

Meaning

What “appropriate” means

  1. verb

    give or assign a resource to a particular person or cause

    I will earmark this money for your research

  2. verb

    take possession of by force, as after an invasion

    the invaders seized the land and property of the inhabitants

  3. adjective

    suitable for a particular person or place or condition etc

    a book not appropriate for children

Say it in a sentence

A quiet word seemed more appropriate than a formal letter.
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

appropriate”, answered

How do you pronounce “appropriate”?

“appropriate” is pronounced /əˈpɹoʊpɹiət/ (uh-PROH-pree-uht) in American English and /ɐpɹəʊpɹɪət/ in British English, and /əˈpɹoʊpɹiˌeɪt/ is also accepted — 4 syllables, stressed on “rop”. Build it as app-ROP-riat-e, then run the second syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “appropriate” have?

4: app · rop · riat · e. The beat lands on the second, “rop”.

Is “appropriate” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /əˈpɹoʊpɹiət/ (uh-PROH-pree-uht); British English says /ɐpɹəʊpɹɪət/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “appropriate” mean?

As a verb: give or assign a resource to a particular person or cause For example: “I will earmark this money for your research” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “appropriate”?

Stress the second syllable: app-ROP-riat-e. “rop” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “appropriate” and see every sound

Record it once and sayit lines your audio up against the target sound by sound — what landed, what slipped, and what it sounded like instead.