Pronunciation

How to pronounce “innovate

“innovate” is pronounced /ˈɪnəˌveɪt/ (I-nuh-vayt) in American English and /ɪnəveɪt/ in British English, and /ˈɪnoʊˌveɪt/ is also accepted — 3 syllables, stressed on “ɪ”.
The sound

Say “innovate” in 3 beats

Say it like this

innovate

/ˈɪnəˌveɪt/

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

3 beats
  1. ɪɪstress
  2. veɪtveɪt
IPA (American)
/ˈɪnəˌveɪt/
IPA (British)
/ɪnəveɪt/
Also accepted
/ˈɪnoʊˌveɪt/
Respelling
I-nuh-vayt
Syllables
3 — Ɪ-nə-veɪt
Stress
Stress the first syllable: Ɪ-nə-veɪt. “ɪ” 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

/ˈɪnəˌveɪt/

British

/ɪnəveɪt/

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

Meaning

What “innovate” means

  1. verb

    bring something new to an environment

    A new word processor was introduced

Say it in a sentence

Small kitchens innovate faster than large ones ever do.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

6 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

innovate”, answered

How do you pronounce “innovate”?

“innovate” is pronounced /ˈɪnəˌveɪt/ (I-nuh-vayt) in American English and /ɪnəveɪt/ in British English, and /ˈɪnoʊˌveɪt/ is also accepted — 3 syllables, stressed on “ɪ”. Build it as Ɪ-nə-veɪt, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “innovate” have?

3: ɪ · nə · veɪt. The beat lands on the first, “ɪ”.

Is “innovate” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈɪnəˌveɪt/ (I-nuh-vayt); British English says /ɪnəveɪt/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “innovate” mean?

As a verb: bring something new to an environment For example: “A new word processor was introduced”

Where is the stress in “innovate”?

Stress the first syllable: Ɪ-nə-veɪt. “ɪ” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “innovate” 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.