How to pronounce “articulate”
“articulate” is said two ways
/ɑɹˈtɪkjələt/
ar-TIK-yuh-luht
Meaning well-spoken. Ends in a reduced -luht.
/ɑɹˈtɪkjəˌleɪt/
ar-TIK-yuh-layt
To say something clearly, or to pronounce a sound. Ends in -layt.
Listen for the vowel, not the letters
The spelling never moves; the sounds inside it do. Practise the two back to back, so your mouth stops defaulting to whichever one you learnt first.Both forms live in one sentence here: “She is articulate enough to articulate what everyone else was feeling.”Each button plays a short phrase rather than the bare word: the model voice takes its stress from the words around it, so asking it for “articulate” on its own would play one reading twice instead of the adjective and the verb. Read the transcription as you listen.
Say “articulate” in 4 beats
articulate
/ɑɹˈtɪkjələt/
Everything in this card describes the adjective form. As a verb it is /ɑɹˈtɪkjəˌleɪt/.
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /ɑːˈtɪkjʊlət/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- ɑɹɑɹ
- tɪtɪstress
- kjəkjə
- lətlət
- IPA (American)
- /ɑɹˈtɪkjələt/
- IPA (British)
- /ɑːˈtɪkjʊlət/
- Respelling
- ar-TIK-yuh-luht (adjective) · ar-TIK-yuh-layt (verb)
- Syllables
- 4 — ɑɹ-TꞮ-kjə-lət
- Stress
- Stress the second syllable: ɑɹ-TꞮ-kjə-lət. “tɪ” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
- Part of speech
- verb, adjective
- Difficulty
- Pro — the sounds are ordinary, the rhythm is where it slips
American and British are not the same here
This is the adjective form in two accents — a separate question from the two pronunciations above, which are the same accent saying two different words.
/ɑɹˈtɪkjələt/
/ɑːˈtɪkjʊlət/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
Where “articulate” goes wrong
- Often heard
“an ar-TIK-yuh-layt speaker”
the adjective ends in -luht; only the verb ends in -layt
What “articulate” means
- verb
provide with a joint
“the carpenter jointed two pieces of wood”
- verb
put into words or an expression
“He formulated his concerns to the board of trustees”
- verb
speak, pronounce, or utter in a certain way
“She pronounces French words in a funny way”
Say it in a sentence
“She is articulate enough to articulate what everyone else was feeling.”“articulate”, answered
How do you pronounce “articulate”?
“articulate” has two pronunciations: /ɑɹˈtɪkjələt/ as an adjective and /ɑɹˈtɪkjəˌleɪt/ as a verb — the part of speech decides which. The spelling never changes; the sounds inside it do, and nothing on the page tells you which one a sentence wants. The transcription and syllable breakdown below describe the adjective form. Build it as ɑɹ-TꞮ-kjə-lət, then run the second syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.
How many syllables does “articulate” have?
4: ɑɹ · tɪ · kjə · lət. The beat lands on the second, “tɪ”.
Which pronunciation of “articulate” is correct?
Both are. /ɑɹˈtɪkjələt/ (ar-TIK-yuh-luht) as an adjective; /ɑɹˈtɪkjəˌleɪt/ (ar-TIK-yuh-layt) as a verb. Nothing about the spelling tells you which — the sentence does, and the two are as different as any two words. Both appear here: “She is articulate enough to articulate what everyone else was feeling.”
Is “articulate” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /ɑɹˈtɪkjələt/ (ar-TIK-yuh-luht); British English says /ɑːˈtɪkjʊlət/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “articulate” mean?
As a verb: provide with a joint For example: “the carpenter jointed two pieces of wood” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.
Where is the stress in “articulate”?
Stress the second syllable: ɑɹ-TꞮ-kjə-lət. “tɪ” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Now say “articulate” 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.