How to pronounce “extract”
“extract” is said two ways
/ɪkˈstɹækt/
ik-STRAKT
To pull out. Beat on STRAKT.
/ˈɛkˌstɹækt/
EKS-trakt
A passage quoted, or a concentrated liquid like vanilla extract. Beat on EKS.
Listen for the beat, not the letters
One syllable gets longer, louder and a step higher, and the other one collapses towards a schwa. Say the whole sentence rather than the word on its own and let the grammar pull the beat where it belongs.Both forms live in one sentence here: “Extract one paragraph and print the extract on the back cover.”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 “extract” on its own would play one reading twice instead of the verb and the noun. Read the transcription as you listen.
Say “extract” in 2 beats
extract
/ɪkˈstɹækt/
Everything in this card describes the verb form. As a noun it is /ˈɛkˌstɹækt/.
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /ɪkˈstɹakt/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- extɪk
- ractstɹæktstress
- IPA (American)
- /ɪkˈstɹækt/
- IPA (British)
- /ɪkˈstɹakt/
- Respelling
- ik-STRAKT (verb) · EKS-trakt (noun)
- Syllables
- 2 — ext-RACT
- Stress
- Stress the second syllable: ext-RACT. “ract” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls 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 verb form in two accents — a separate question from the two pronunciations above, which are the same accent saying two different words.
/ɪkˈstɹækt/
/ɪkˈstɹakt/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
Where “extract” goes wrong
- Often heard
“EKS-trakt the tooth”
pulling something out is ik-STRAKT; EKS-trakt is the passage or the essence
What “extract” means
- noun
a solution obtained by steeping or soaking a substance (usually in water)
- noun
a passage selected from a larger work
“he presented excerpts from William James' philosophical writings”
- verb
remove, usually with some force or effort; also used in an abstract sense
“pull weeds”
Say it in a sentence
“Extract one paragraph and print the extract on the back cover.”“extract”, answered
How do you pronounce “extract”?
“extract” has two pronunciations: /ɪkˈstɹækt/ as a verb and /ˈɛkˌstɹækt/ as a noun — the part of speech decides which. The spelling never changes; the beat does, and the vowels reshape around wherever it lands. The transcription and syllable breakdown below describe the verb form. Build it as ext-RACT, then run the second syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.
How many syllables does “extract” have?
2: ext · ract. The beat lands on the second, “ract”.
Which pronunciation of “extract” is correct?
Both are. /ɪkˈstɹækt/ (ik-STRAKT) as a verb; /ˈɛkˌstɹækt/ (EKS-trakt) as a noun. Nothing about the spelling tells you which — the sentence does. Move the beat and the word changes its job mid-sentence, which is why both are worth drilling. Both appear here: “Extract one paragraph and print the extract on the back cover.”
Is “extract” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /ɪkˈstɹækt/ (ik-STRAKT); British English says /ɪkˈstɹakt/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “extract” mean?
As a noun: a solution obtained by steeping or soaking a substance (usually in water) For example: “Extract one paragraph and print the extract on the back cover.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.
Where is the stress in “extract”?
Stress the second syllable: ext-RACT. “ract” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Now say “extract” 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.