How to pronounce “escalate”
Say “escalate” in 3 beats
escalate
/ˈɛskəˌleɪt/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /ɛskɐleɪt/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- ɛɛstress
- skəskə
- leɪtleɪt
- IPA (American)
- /ˈɛskəˌleɪt/
- IPA (British)
- /ɛskɐleɪt/
- Respelling
- E-skuh-layt
- Syllables
- 3 — Ɛ-skə-leɪt
- Stress
- Stress the first syllable: Ɛ-skə-leɪt. “ɛ” 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
American and British are not the same here
/ˈɛskəˌleɪt/
/ɛskɐleɪt/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
What “escalate” means
- verb
increase in extent or intensity
“The Allies escalated the bombing”
Say it in a sentence
“A small disagreement can escalate quickly in a hot kitchen.”“escalate”, answered
How do you pronounce “escalate”?
“escalate” is pronounced /ˈɛskəˌleɪt/ (E-skuh-layt) in American English and /ɛskɐleɪt/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “ɛ”. Build it as Ɛ-skə-leɪt, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.
How many syllables does “escalate” have?
3: ɛ · skə · leɪt. The beat lands on the first, “ɛ”.
Is “escalate” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /ˈɛskəˌleɪt/ (E-skuh-layt); British English says /ɛskɐleɪt/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “escalate” mean?
As a verb: increase in extent or intensity For example: “The Allies escalated the bombing”
Where is the stress in “escalate”?
Stress the first syllable: Ɛ-skə-leɪt. “ɛ” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Now say “escalate” 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.