Pronunciation

How to pronounce “graduate

“graduate” is pronounced /ˈɡɹædʒəwət/ (GRA-juh-wuht) in American English and /ɡɹadjuːət/ in British English, and /ˈɡɹædʒəˌweɪt/ and /ˈɡɹædʒuwət/ and /ˈɡɹædʒuˌeɪt/ are also accepted — 3 syllables, stressed on “grad”.
The sound

Say “graduate” in 3 beats

Say it like this

graduate

/ˈɡɹædʒəwət/

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

3 beats
  1. gradɡɹæstress
  2. uatdʒə
  3. ewət
IPA (American)
/ˈɡɹædʒəwət/
IPA (British)
/ɡɹadjuːət/
Also accepted
/ˈɡɹædʒəˌweɪt/
Also accepted
/ˈɡɹædʒuwət/
Also accepted
/ˈɡɹædʒuˌeɪt/
Respelling
GRA-juh-wuht
Syllables
3 — GRAD-uat-e
Stress
Stress the first syllable: GRAD-uat-e. “grad” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Part of speech
noun, verb, adjective
Difficulty
Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˈɡɹædʒəwət/

British

/ɡɹadjuːət/

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

Meaning

What “graduate” means

  1. noun

    a person who has received a degree from a school (high school or college or university)

  2. noun

    a measuring instrument for measuring fluid volume; a glass container (cup or cylinder or flask) whose sides are marked with or divided into amounts

  3. verb

    receive an academic degree upon completion of one's studies

    She graduated in 1990

Say it in a sentence

She hopes to graduate in June and start work in September.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

7 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

graduate”, answered

How do you pronounce “graduate”?

“graduate” is pronounced /ˈɡɹædʒəwət/ (GRA-juh-wuht) in American English and /ɡɹadjuːət/ in British English, and /ˈɡɹædʒəˌweɪt/ and /ˈɡɹædʒuwət/ and /ˈɡɹædʒuˌeɪt/ are also accepted — 3 syllables, stressed on “grad”. Build it as GRAD-uat-e, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “graduate” have?

3: grad · uat · e. The beat lands on the first, “grad”.

Is “graduate” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈɡɹædʒəwət/ (GRA-juh-wuht); British English says /ɡɹadjuːət/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “graduate” mean?

As a noun: a person who has received a degree from a school (high school or college or university) For example: “She hopes to graduate in June and start work in September.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “graduate”?

Stress the first syllable: GRAD-uat-e. “grad” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “graduate” 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.