Pronunciation

How to pronounce “undergraduate

“undergraduate” is pronounced /ˌʌndɚˈɡɹædʒəwət/ (un-duh-GRA-juh-wuht) in American English and /ʌndəɡɹadjuːət/ in British English — 5 syllables, stressed on “rad”.
The sound

Say “undergraduate” in 5 beats

Say it like this

undergraduate

/ˌʌndɚˈɡɹædʒəwət/

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

5 beats
  1. unʌn
  2. derg
  3. radɡɹæstress
  4. uatdʒə
  5. ewət
IPA (American)
/ˌʌndɚˈɡɹædʒəwət/
IPA (British)
/ʌndəɡɹadjuːət/
Respelling
un-duh-GRA-juh-wuht
Syllables
5 — un-derg-RAD-uat-e
Stress
Stress the third syllable: un-derg-RAD-uat-e. “rad” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Part of speech
noun
Difficulty
Pro — the sounds are ordinary, the rhythm is where it slips
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˌʌndɚˈɡɹædʒəwət/

British

/ʌndəɡɹadjuːət/

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

Meaning

What “undergraduate” means

  1. noun

    a university student who has not yet received a first degree

Say it in a sentence

As an undergraduate he spent most evenings in the library.
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

undergraduate”, answered

How do you pronounce “undergraduate”?

“undergraduate” is pronounced /ˌʌndɚˈɡɹædʒəwət/ (un-duh-GRA-juh-wuht) in American English and /ʌndəɡɹadjuːət/ in British English — 5 syllables, stressed on “rad”. Build it as un-derg-RAD-uat-e, then run the third syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “undergraduate” have?

5: un · derg · rad · uat · e. The beat lands on the third, “rad”.

Is “undergraduate” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˌʌndɚˈɡɹædʒəwət/ (un-duh-GRA-juh-wuht); British English says /ʌndəɡɹadjuːət/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “undergraduate” mean?

As a noun: a university student who has not yet received a first degree For example: “As an undergraduate he spent most evenings in the library.”

Where is the stress in “undergraduate”?

Stress the third syllable: un-derg-RAD-uat-e. “rad” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “undergraduate” and see every sound

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