Pronunciation

How to pronounce “great

“great” is pronounced /ɡɹeɪt/ (GRAYT) — one syllable.
The sound

Say “great” in one beat

Say it like this

great

/ɡɹeɪt/

The voice you hear here is American; a British voice is available in the app's settings.

1 beat
  1. greatɡɹeɪt
IPA (American)
/ɡɹeɪt/
IPA (British)
/ɡɹeɪt/
Respelling
GRAYT
Syllables
1 — great
Stress
One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /ɡɹeɪt/ in one unbroken piece rather than clipping the vowel.
Part of speech
noun, adjective
Difficulty
Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
Meaning

What “great” means

  1. noun

    a person who has achieved distinction and honor in some field

    he is one of the greats of American music

  2. adjective

    relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind

    a great juicy steak

  3. adjective

    of major significance or importance

    a great work of art

Say it in a sentence

The concert was a great way to end the summer.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

4 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

great”, answered

How do you pronounce “great”?

“great” is pronounced /ɡɹeɪt/ (GRAYT) — one syllable. It is one unbroken piece — /ɡɹeɪt/ — with no pause anywhere inside it.

How many syllables does “great” have?

One, despite the 2 vowel letters in the spelling. The whole word is /ɡɹeɪt/ — a single beat.

What does “great” mean?

As a noun: a person who has achieved distinction and honor in some field For example: “he is one of the greats of American music” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “great”?

One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /ɡɹeɪt/ in one unbroken piece rather than clipping the vowel.

Practise this word

Now say “great” 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.