Pronunciation

How to pronounce “inveterate

“inveterate” is pronounced /ˌɪnˈvɛtɚət/ (in-VE-tuh-uht) in American English and /ɪnvɛtəɹeɪt/ in British English — 4 syllables, stressed on “vɛ”.
The sound

Say “inveterate” in 4 beats

Say it like this

inveterate

/ˌɪnˈvɛtɚət/

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

4 beats
  1. ɪnɪn
  2. stress
  3. ətət
IPA (American)
/ˌɪnˈvɛtɚət/
IPA (British)
/ɪnvɛtəɹeɪt/
Respelling
in-VE-tuh-uht
Syllables
4 — ɪn-VƐ-tɚ-ət
Stress
Stress the second syllable: ɪn-VƐ-tɚ-ət. “vɛ” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Part of speech
adjective, adverb
Difficulty
Legend — spelling and sound part company here
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˌɪnˈvɛtɚət/

British

/ɪnvɛtəɹeɪt/

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

Meaning

What “inveterate” means

  1. adjective

    habitual

    a chronic smoker

  2. adverb

    in a habitual and longstanding manner

    smoking chronically

Say it in a sentence

He is an inveterate collector of other people's postcards.
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

inveterate”, answered

How do you pronounce “inveterate”?

“inveterate” is pronounced /ˌɪnˈvɛtɚət/ (in-VE-tuh-uht) in American English and /ɪnvɛtəɹeɪt/ in British English — 4 syllables, stressed on “vɛ”. Build it as ɪn-VƐ-tɚ-ət, then run the second syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “inveterate” have?

4: ɪn · vɛ · tɚ · ət. The beat lands on the second, “vɛ”.

Is “inveterate” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˌɪnˈvɛtɚət/ (in-VE-tuh-uht); British English says /ɪnvɛtəɹeɪt/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “inveterate” mean?

As an adjective: habitual For example: “a chronic smoker” It carries 1 other sense as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “inveterate”?

Stress the second syllable: ɪn-VƐ-tɚ-ət. “vɛ” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “inveterate” and see every sound

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