Pronunciation

How to pronounce “intermediate

“intermediate” is pronounced /ˌɪntɚˈmidiɪt/ (in-tur-MEE-dee-uht) in American English and /ˌɪntəˈmiːdɪət/ in British English, and /ˌɪnɚˈmidiɪt/ is also accepted — 5 syllables, stressed on “med”.
The sound

Say “intermediate” in 5 beats

Say it like this

intermediate

/ˌɪntɚˈmidiɪt/

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

5 beats
  1. inɪn
  2. ter
  3. medmistress
  4. iatdi
  5. eɪt
IPA (American)
/ˌɪntɚˈmidiɪt/
IPA (British)
/ˌɪntəˈmiːdɪət/
Also accepted
/ˌɪnɚˈmidiɪt/
Respelling
in-tur-MEE-dee-uht
Syllables
5 — in-ter-MED-iat-e
Stress
Stress the third syllable: in-ter-MED-iat-e. “med” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Part of speech
noun, verb, adjective
Difficulty
Pro — the sounds are ordinary, the rhythm is where it slips
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˌɪntɚˈmidiɪt/

British

/ˌɪntəˈmiːdɪət/

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

Watch out

Where “intermediate” goes wrong

  • Often heard

    in-tur-MEE-dee-ayt

    the adjective ends in a reduced -uht; only the rare verb ends in -ayt

Meaning

What “intermediate” means

  1. noun

    a substance formed during a chemical process before the desired product is obtained

  2. verb

    act between parties with a view to reconciling differences

    He interceded in the family dispute

  3. adjective

    lying between two extremes in time or space or state

    going from sitting to standing without intermediate pushes with the hands

Say it in a sentence

She moved up to the intermediate class after one term.
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

intermediate”, answered

How do you pronounce “intermediate”?

“intermediate” is pronounced /ˌɪntɚˈmidiɪt/ (in-tur-MEE-dee-uht) in American English and /ˌɪntəˈmiːdɪət/ in British English, and /ˌɪnɚˈmidiɪt/ is also accepted — 5 syllables, stressed on “med”. Build it as in-ter-MED-iat-e, then run the third syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “intermediate” have?

5: in · ter · med · iat · e. The beat lands on the third, “med”.

Is “intermediate” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˌɪntɚˈmidiɪt/ (in-tur-MEE-dee-uht); British English says /ˌɪntəˈmiːdɪət/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “intermediate” mean?

As a noun: a substance formed during a chemical process before the desired product is obtained For example: “She moved up to the intermediate class after one term.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “intermediate”?

Stress the third syllable: in-ter-MED-iat-e. “med” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “intermediate” 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.