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Pronunciation

How to pronounce “ultimate”

“ultimate” is pronounced /ˈʌltəmət/ (UL-tuh-muht) in American English and /ʌltɪmət/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “ʌl”.
The sound

Say “ultimate” in 3 beats

Say it like this

ultimate

/ˈʌltəmət/

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

3 beats
  1. ʌlʌlstress
  2. tətə
  3. mətmət
IPA (American)
/ˈʌltəmət/
IPA (British)
/ʌltɪmət/
Respelling
UL-tuh-muht
Syllables
3 — ɅL-tə-mət
Stress
Stress the first syllable: ɅL-tə-mət. “ʌl” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Part of speech
noun, adjective
Difficulty
Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˈʌltəmət/

British

/ʌltɪmət/

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

Meaning

What “ultimate” means

  1. noun

    the finest or most superior quality of its kind

    “the ultimate in luxury”

  2. adjective

    furthest or highest in degree or order; utmost or extreme

    “the ultimate achievement”

  3. adjective

    being the last or concluding element of a series

    “the ultimate sonata of that opus”

Say it in a sentence

“This flour is the ultimate for a proper loaf.”
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

5 sounds, in the order you say them
ʌshort ulltt×2əschwa×2mm

Each sound has its own page: where the tongue goes, what it is usually confused with, and words to drill it on.

Questions

“ultimate”, answered

How do you pronounce “ultimate”?

“ultimate” is pronounced /ˈʌltəmət/ (UL-tuh-muht) in American English and /ʌltɪmət/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “ʌl”. Build it as ɅL-tə-mət, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “ultimate” have?

3: ʌl · tə · mət. The beat lands on the first, “ʌl”.

Is “ultimate” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈʌltəmət/ (UL-tuh-muht); British English says /ʌltɪmət/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “ultimate” mean?

As a noun: the finest or most superior quality of its kind For example: “the ultimate in luxury” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “ultimate”?

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

Practise this word

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