Pronunciation

How to pronounce “subordinate

“subordinate” is pronounced /səˈbɔɹdəˌneɪt/ (suh-BAWR-duh-nayt) in American English and /sʌbɔːdɪnət/ in British English, and /səˈbɔɹdənət/ is also accepted — 4 syllables, stressed on “bɔɹ”.
The sound

Say “subordinate” in 4 beats

Say it like this

subordinate

/səˈbɔɹdəˌneɪt/

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

4 beats
  1. bɔɹbɔɹstress
  2. neɪtneɪt
IPA (American)
/səˈbɔɹdəˌneɪt/
IPA (British)
/sʌbɔːdɪnət/
Also accepted
/səˈbɔɹdənət/
Respelling
suh-BAWR-duh-nayt
Syllables
4 — sə-BƆɹ-də-neɪt
Stress
Stress the second syllable: sə-BƆɹ-də-neɪt. “bɔɹ” 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

/səˈbɔɹdəˌneɪt/

British

/sʌbɔːdɪnət/

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

Meaning

What “subordinate” means

  1. noun

    an assistant subject to the authority or control of another

  2. noun

    a word that is more specific than a given word

  3. verb

    rank or order as less important or consider of less value

    Art is sometimes subordinated to Science in these schools

Say it in a sentence

He would never subordinate his own plans to anyone else's.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

9 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

subordinate”, answered

How do you pronounce “subordinate”?

“subordinate” is pronounced /səˈbɔɹdəˌneɪt/ (suh-BAWR-duh-nayt) in American English and /sʌbɔːdɪnət/ in British English, and /səˈbɔɹdənət/ is also accepted — 4 syllables, stressed on “bɔɹ”. Build it as sə-BƆɹ-də-neɪt, then run the second syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “subordinate” have?

4: sə · bɔɹ · də · neɪt. The beat lands on the second, “bɔɹ”.

Is “subordinate” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /səˈbɔɹdəˌneɪt/ (suh-BAWR-duh-nayt); British English says /sʌbɔːdɪnət/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “subordinate” mean?

As a noun: an assistant subject to the authority or control of another For example: “He would never subordinate his own plans to anyone else's.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “subordinate”?

Stress the second syllable: sə-BƆɹ-də-neɪt. “bɔɹ” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “subordinate” and see every sound

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