Pronunciation

How to pronounce “mitigate

“mitigate” is pronounced /ˈmɪtəˌɡeɪt/ (MI-tuh-gayt) in American English and /mɪtɪɡeɪt/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “mɪ”.
The sound

Say “mitigate” in 3 beats

Say it like this

mitigate

/ˈmɪtəˌɡeɪt/

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

3 beats
  1. stress
  2. ɡeɪtɡeɪt
IPA (American)
/ˈmɪtəˌɡeɪt/
IPA (British)
/mɪtɪɡeɪt/
Respelling
MI-tuh-gayt
Syllables
3 — MꞮ-tə-ɡeɪt
Stress
Stress the first syllable: MꞮ-tə-ɡeɪt. “mɪ” 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

/ˈmɪtəˌɡeɪt/

British

/mɪtɪɡeɪt/

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

Meaning

What “mitigate” means

  1. verb

    lessen or to try to lessen the seriousness or extent of

    The circumstances extenuate the crime

  2. verb

    make less severe or harsh

    mitigating circumstances

Say it in a sentence

Sandbags did something to mitigate the flooding downstairs.
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

mitigate”, answered

How do you pronounce “mitigate”?

“mitigate” is pronounced /ˈmɪtəˌɡeɪt/ (MI-tuh-gayt) in American English and /mɪtɪɡeɪt/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “mɪ”. Build it as MꞮ-tə-ɡeɪt, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “mitigate” have?

3: mɪ · tə · ɡeɪt. The beat lands on the first, “mɪ”.

Is “mitigate” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈmɪtəˌɡeɪt/ (MI-tuh-gayt); British English says /mɪtɪɡeɪt/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “mitigate” mean?

As a verb: lessen or to try to lessen the seriousness or extent of For example: “The circumstances extenuate the crime” It carries 1 other sense as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “mitigate”?

Stress the first syllable: MꞮ-tə-ɡeɪt. “mɪ” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “mitigate” and see every sound

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