How to pronounce “estimate”
“estimate” is said two ways
/ˈɛstəmət/
ESS-tim-uht
The figure someone gives you. Ends in a reduced -uht.
/ˈɛstəˌmeɪt/
ESS-ti-mayt
To work a figure out. Ends in a full -mayt.
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: “Estimate the cost first, then send the estimate in writing.”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 “estimate” on its own would play one reading twice instead of the noun and the verb. Read the transcription as you listen.
Say “estimate” in 3 beats
estimate
/ˈɛstəmət/
Everything in this card describes the noun form. As a verb it is /ˈɛstəˌmeɪt/.
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /ˈɛstɪmət/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- ɛɛstress
- stəstə
- mətmət
- IPA (American)
- /ˈɛstəmət/
- IPA (British)
- /ˈɛstɪmət/
- Respelling
- ESS-tim-uht (noun) · ESS-ti-mayt (verb)
- Syllables
- 3 — Ɛ-stə-mət
- Stress
- Stress the first syllable: Ɛ-stə-mət. “ɛ” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
- Part of speech
- noun, verb
- Difficulty
- Pro — the sounds are ordinary, the rhythm is where it slips
American and British are not the same here
This is the noun form in two accents — a separate question from the two pronunciations above, which are the same accent saying two different words.
/ˈɛstəmət/
/ˈɛstɪmət/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
Where “estimate” goes wrong
- Often heard
“get an ESS-ti-mayt”
the noun ends in -uht; only the verb ends in -mayt
What “estimate” means
- noun
an approximate calculation of quantity or degree or worth
“an estimate of what it would cost”
- noun
a judgment of the qualities of something or somebody
“many factors are involved in any estimate of human life”
- noun
a document appraising the value of something (as for insurance or taxation)
Say it in a sentence
“Estimate the cost first, then send the estimate in writing.”“estimate”, answered
How do you pronounce “estimate”?
“estimate” has two pronunciations: /ˈɛstəmət/ as a noun and /ˈɛstəˌmeɪt/ 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 noun form. Build it as Ɛ-stə-mət, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.
How many syllables does “estimate” have?
3: ɛ · stə · mət. The beat lands on the first, “ɛ”.
Which pronunciation of “estimate” is correct?
Both are. /ˈɛstəmət/ (ESS-tim-uht) as a noun; /ˈɛstəˌmeɪt/ (ESS-ti-mayt) 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: “Estimate the cost first, then send the estimate in writing.”
Is “estimate” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /ˈɛstəmət/ (ESS-tim-uht); British English says /ˈɛstɪmət/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “estimate” mean?
As a noun: an approximate calculation of quantity or degree or worth For example: “an estimate of what it would cost” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.
Where is the stress in “estimate”?
Stress the first syllable: Ɛ-stə-mət. “ɛ” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Now say “estimate” 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.