Pronunciation

How to pronounce “postgraduate

“postgraduate” is pronounced /ˌpoʊstˈɡɹædʒuət/ (pohst-GRAJ-oo-uht) in American English and /ˌpəʊstˈɡɹadjuət/ in British English — 4 syllables, stressed on “grad”.
The sound

Say “postgraduate” in 4 beats

Say it like this

postgraduate

/ˌpoʊstˈɡɹædʒuət/

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

4 beats
  1. postpoʊst
  2. gradɡɹæstress
  3. uatdʒu
  4. eət
IPA (American)
/ˌpoʊstˈɡɹædʒuət/
IPA (British)
/ˌpəʊstˈɡɹadjuət/
Respelling
pohst-GRAJ-oo-uht
Syllables
4 — post-GRAD-uat-e
Stress
Stress the second syllable: post-GRAD-uat-e. “grad” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Part of speech
noun, adjective
Difficulty
Pro — the sounds are ordinary, the rhythm is where it slips
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˌpoʊstˈɡɹædʒuət/

British

/ˌpəʊstˈɡɹadjuət/

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

Watch out

Where “postgraduate” goes wrong

  • Often heard

    pohst-GRAD-yoo-ayt

    the noun and adjective end in a reduced -uht; only the verb ends -ayt

Meaning

What “postgraduate” means

  1. noun

    a student who continues studies after graduation

  2. adjective

    of or relating to studies beyond a bachelor's degree

    graduate courses

Say it in a sentence

She stayed on for postgraduate work in phonetics.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

10 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

postgraduate”, answered

How do you pronounce “postgraduate”?

“postgraduate” is pronounced /ˌpoʊstˈɡɹædʒuət/ (pohst-GRAJ-oo-uht) in American English and /ˌpəʊstˈɡɹadjuət/ in British English — 4 syllables, stressed on “grad”. Build it as post-GRAD-uat-e, then run the second syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “postgraduate” have?

4: post · grad · uat · e. The beat lands on the second, “grad”.

Is “postgraduate” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˌpoʊstˈɡɹædʒuət/ (pohst-GRAJ-oo-uht); British English says /ˌpəʊstˈɡɹadjuət/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “postgraduate” mean?

As a noun: a student who continues studies after graduation For example: “She stayed on for postgraduate work in phonetics.” It carries 1 other sense as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “postgraduate”?

Stress the second syllable: post-GRAD-uat-e. “grad” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “postgraduate” and see every sound

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