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Pronunciation

How to pronounce “compensate”

“compensate” is pronounced /ˈkɑmpənˌseɪt/ (KAHM-puhn-sayt) in American English and /kɒmpənseɪt/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “kɑm”.
The sound

Say “compensate” in 3 beats

Say it like this

compensate

/ˈkɑmpənˌseɪt/

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

3 beats
  1. kɑmkɑmstress
  2. pənpən
  3. seɪtseɪt
IPA (American)
/ˈkɑmpənˌseɪt/
IPA (British)
/kɒmpənseɪt/
Respelling
KAHM-puhn-sayt
Syllables
3 — KⱭM-pən-seɪt
Stress
Stress the first syllable: KⱭM-pən-seɪt. “kɑm” 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

/ˈkɑmpənˌseɪt/

British

/kɒmpənseɪt/

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

Meaning

What “compensate” means

  1. verb

    adjust for

    “engineers will work to correct the effects or air resistance”

  2. verb

    make amends for; pay compensation for

    “One can never fully repair the suffering and losses of the Jews in the Third Reich”

  3. verb

    make up for shortcomings or a feeling of inferiority by exaggerating good qualities

    “he is compensating for being a bad father”

Say it in a sentence

“Nothing can compensate for the sleep you lose with a newborn.”
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

9 sounds, in the order you say them
kkɑahmmppəschwannsseɪlong att

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

Questions

“compensate”, answered

How do you pronounce “compensate”?

“compensate” is pronounced /ˈkɑmpənˌseɪt/ (KAHM-puhn-sayt) in American English and /kɒmpənseɪt/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “kɑm”. Build it as KⱭM-pən-seɪt, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “compensate” have?

3: kɑm · pən · seɪt. The beat lands on the first, “kɑm”.

Is “compensate” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈkɑmpənˌseɪt/ (KAHM-puhn-sayt); British English says /kɒmpənseɪt/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “compensate” mean?

As a verb: adjust for For example: “engineers will work to correct the effects or air resistance” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “compensate”?

Stress the first syllable: KⱭM-pən-seɪt. “kɑm” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “compensate” and see every sound

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