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Pronunciation

How to pronounce “decade”

“decade” is pronounced /dɛˈkeɪd/ (de-KAYD) in American English and /dɛkeɪd/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “keɪd”.
The sound

Say “decade” in 2 beats

Say it like this

decade

/dɛˈkeɪd/

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

2 beats
  1. dɛdɛ
  2. keɪdkeɪdstress
IPA (American)
/dɛˈkeɪd/
IPA (British)
/dɛkeɪd/
Respelling
de-KAYD
Syllables
2 — dɛ-KEꞮD
Stress
Stress the second syllable: dɛ-KEꞮD. “keɪd” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Part of speech
noun
Difficulty
Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/dɛˈkeɪd/

British

/dɛkeɪd/

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

Meaning

What “decade” means

  1. noun

    a period of 10 years

  2. noun

    the cardinal number that is the sum of nine and one; the base of the decimal system

Say it in a sentence

“She has run the same shop for more than a decade.”
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

4 sounds, in the order you say them
dd×2ɛshort ekkeɪlong a

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

Questions

“decade”, answered

How do you pronounce “decade”?

“decade” is pronounced /dɛˈkeɪd/ (de-KAYD) in American English and /dɛkeɪd/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “keɪd”. Build it as dɛ-KEꞮD, then run the second syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “decade” have?

2: dɛ · keɪd. The beat lands on the second, “keɪd”.

Is “decade” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /dɛˈkeɪd/ (de-KAYD); British English says /dɛkeɪd/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “decade” mean?

As a noun: a period of 10 years For example: “She has run the same shop for more than a decade.” It carries 1 other sense as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “decade”?

Stress the second syllable: dɛ-KEꞮD. “keɪd” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “decade” and see every sound

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