Pronunciation

How to pronounce “indicate

“indicate” is pronounced /ˈɪndəˌkeɪt/ (IN-duh-kayt) in American English and /ɪndɪkeɪt/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “ɪn”.
The sound

Say “indicate” in 3 beats

Say it like this

indicate

/ˈɪndəˌkeɪt/

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

3 beats
  1. ɪnɪnstress
  2. keɪtkeɪt
IPA (American)
/ˈɪndəˌkeɪt/
IPA (British)
/ɪndɪkeɪt/
Respelling
IN-duh-kayt
Syllables
3 — ꞮN-də-keɪt
Stress
Stress the first syllable: ꞮN-də-keɪt. “ɪn” 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
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˈɪndəˌkeɪt/

British

/ɪndɪkeɪt/

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

Meaning

What “indicate” means

  1. verb

    be a signal for or a symptom of

    These symptoms indicate a serious illness

  2. verb

    indicate a place, direction, person, or thing; either spatially or figuratively

    I showed the customer the glove section

  3. verb

    to state or express briefly

    indicated his wishes in a letter

Say it in a sentence

The figures indicate a small but steady improvement.
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

indicate”, answered

How do you pronounce “indicate”?

“indicate” is pronounced /ˈɪndəˌkeɪt/ (IN-duh-kayt) in American English and /ɪndɪkeɪt/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “ɪn”. Build it as ꞮN-də-keɪt, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “indicate” have?

3: ɪn · də · keɪt. The beat lands on the first, “ɪn”.

Is “indicate” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈɪndəˌkeɪt/ (IN-duh-kayt); British English says /ɪndɪkeɪt/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “indicate” mean?

As a verb: be a signal for or a symptom of For example: “These symptoms indicate a serious illness” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “indicate”?

Stress the first syllable: ꞮN-də-keɪt. “ɪn” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “indicate” 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.