Pronunciation

How to pronounce “initiated

“initiated” is pronounced /ˌɪˈnɪʃiˌeɪtəd/ (i-NI-shee-ay-tuhd) in American English and /ɪnɪʃɪeɪtɪd/ in British English, and /ˌɪˈnɪʃiˌeɪtɪd/ is also accepted — 5 syllables, stressed on “nɪ”.
The sound

Say “initiated” in 5 beats

Say it like this

initiated

/ˌɪˈnɪʃiˌeɪtəd/

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

5 beats
  1. ɪɪ
  2. stress
  3. ʃiʃi
  4. tədtəd
IPA (American)
/ˌɪˈnɪʃiˌeɪtəd/
IPA (British)
/ɪnɪʃɪeɪtɪd/
Also accepted
/ˌɪˈnɪʃiˌeɪtɪd/
Respelling
i-NI-shee-ay-tuhd
Syllables
5 — ɪ-NꞮ-ʃi-eɪ-təd
Stress
Stress the second syllable: ɪ-NꞮ-ʃi-eɪ-təd. “nɪ” 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

/ˌɪˈnɪʃiˌeɪtəd/

British

/ɪnɪʃɪeɪtɪd/

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

Meaning

What “initiated” means

  1. verb

    bring into being

    He initiated a new program

  2. verb

    take the lead or initiative in; participate in the development of

    This South African surgeon pioneered heart transplants

  3. verb

    accept people into an exclusive society or group, usually with some rite

    African men are initiated when they reach puberty

Say it in a sentence

She initiated the programme and ran it for six years.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

8 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

initiated”, answered

How do you pronounce “initiated”?

“initiated” is pronounced /ˌɪˈnɪʃiˌeɪtəd/ (i-NI-shee-ay-tuhd) in American English and /ɪnɪʃɪeɪtɪd/ in British English, and /ˌɪˈnɪʃiˌeɪtɪd/ is also accepted — 5 syllables, stressed on “nɪ”. Build it as ɪ-NꞮ-ʃi-eɪ-təd, then run the second syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “initiated” have?

5: ɪ · nɪ · ʃi · eɪ · təd. The beat lands on the second, “nɪ”.

Is “initiated” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˌɪˈnɪʃiˌeɪtəd/ (i-NI-shee-ay-tuhd); British English says /ɪnɪʃɪeɪtɪd/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “initiated” mean?

As a verb: bring into being For example: “He initiated a new program” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “initiated”?

Stress the second syllable: ɪ-NꞮ-ʃi-eɪ-təd. “nɪ” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “initiated” 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.