Pronunciation

How to pronounce “sophisticated

“sophisticated” is pronounced /səˈfɪstəˌkeɪtɪd/ (suh-FI-stuh-kay-tid) in American English and /səfɪstɪkeɪtɪd/ in British English, and /səˈfɪstɪˌkeɪtəd/ is also accepted — 5 syllables, stressed on “his”.
The sound

Say “sophisticated” in 5 beats

Say it like this

sophisticated

/səˈfɪstəˌkeɪtɪd/

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

5 beats
  1. sop
  2. hisstress
  3. ticstə
  4. atkeɪ
  5. edtɪd
IPA (American)
/səˈfɪstəˌkeɪtɪd/
IPA (British)
/səfɪstɪkeɪtɪd/
Also accepted
/səˈfɪstɪˌkeɪtəd/
Respelling
suh-FI-stuh-kay-tid
Syllables
5 — sop-HIS-tic-at-ed
Stress
Stress the second syllable: sop-HIS-tic-at-ed. “his” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Part of speech
verb, adjective
Difficulty
Pro — the sounds are ordinary, the rhythm is where it slips
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/səˈfɪstəˌkeɪtɪd/

British

/səfɪstɪkeɪtɪd/

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

Meaning

What “sophisticated” means

  1. verb

    make less natural or innocent

    Their manners had sophisticated the young girls

  2. verb

    practice sophistry; change the meaning of or be vague about in order to mislead or deceive

    Don't twist my words

  3. verb

    alter and make impure, as with the intention to deceive

    Sophisticate rose water with geraniol

Say it in a sentence

The system is sophisticated but surprisingly simple to operate.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

8 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

sophisticated”, answered

How do you pronounce “sophisticated”?

“sophisticated” is pronounced /səˈfɪstəˌkeɪtɪd/ (suh-FI-stuh-kay-tid) in American English and /səfɪstɪkeɪtɪd/ in British English, and /səˈfɪstɪˌkeɪtəd/ is also accepted — 5 syllables, stressed on “his”. Build it as sop-HIS-tic-at-ed, then run the second syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “sophisticated” have?

5: sop · his · tic · at · ed. The beat lands on the second, “his”.

Is “sophisticated” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /səˈfɪstəˌkeɪtɪd/ (suh-FI-stuh-kay-tid); British English says /səfɪstɪkeɪtɪd/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “sophisticated” mean?

As a verb: make less natural or innocent For example: “Their manners had sophisticated the young girls” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “sophisticated”?

Stress the second syllable: sop-HIS-tic-at-ed. “his” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “sophisticated” 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.