Pronunciation

How to pronounce “differentiate

“differentiate” is pronounced /ˌdɪfɚˈɛnʃiˌeɪt/ (di-fuh-EN-shee-ayt) in American English and /dɪfəɹɛnʃɪeɪt/ in British English, and /ˌdɪfɚˈɛntʃiˌeɪt/ is also accepted — 5 syllables, stressed on “en”.
The sound

Say “differentiate” in 5 beats

Say it like this

differentiate

/ˌdɪfɚˈɛnʃiˌeɪt/

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

5 beats
  1. dif
  2. fer
  3. enɛnstress
  4. tiatʃi
  5. eeɪt
IPA (American)
/ˌdɪfɚˈɛnʃiˌeɪt/
IPA (British)
/dɪfəɹɛnʃɪeɪt/
Also accepted
/ˌdɪfɚˈɛntʃiˌeɪt/
Respelling
di-fuh-EN-shee-ayt
Syllables
5 — dif-fer-EN-tiat-e
Stress
Stress the third syllable: dif-fer-EN-tiat-e. “en” 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

/ˌdɪfɚˈɛnʃiˌeɪt/

British

/dɪfəɹɛnʃɪeɪt/

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

Meaning

What “differentiate” means

  1. verb

    mark as different

    We distinguish several kinds of maple

  2. verb

    be a distinctive feature, attribute, or trait; sometimes in a very positive sense

    His modesty distinguishes him from his peers

  3. verb

    calculate a derivative; take the derivative

Say it in a sentence

Buyers cannot differentiate the two models from the photographs alone.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

10 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

differentiate”, answered

How do you pronounce “differentiate”?

“differentiate” is pronounced /ˌdɪfɚˈɛnʃiˌeɪt/ (di-fuh-EN-shee-ayt) in American English and /dɪfəɹɛnʃɪeɪt/ in British English, and /ˌdɪfɚˈɛntʃiˌeɪt/ is also accepted — 5 syllables, stressed on “en”. Build it as dif-fer-EN-tiat-e, then run the third syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “differentiate” have?

5: dif · fer · en · tiat · e. The beat lands on the third, “en”.

Is “differentiate” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˌdɪfɚˈɛnʃiˌeɪt/ (di-fuh-EN-shee-ayt); British English says /dɪfəɹɛnʃɪeɪt/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “differentiate” mean?

As a verb: mark as different For example: “We distinguish several kinds of maple” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “differentiate”?

Stress the third syllable: dif-fer-EN-tiat-e. “en” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “differentiate” 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.