How To Pronounce Great
great
UK
Phonemic
/ɡreɪt/
Phonetic
[ɡreɪt̚]
US
Phonemic
/ɡreɪt/
In British English, great is pronounced /ɡreɪt/. The narrow phonetic transcription is [ɡreɪt̚]. In American English, it is pronounced /ɡreɪt/.
Great has one syllable. British and American speakers say it the same way.
Slashes / / show the phonemic transcription, the sounds that change meaning. Square brackets [ ] show the phonetic transcription, with the finer detail of how the sounds are actually made.
Syllables, Stress And Endings
Syllables And Stress
ɡreɪt
Great has one syllable in British English.
great + -s
-s (plural, possessive or singular verb) is /s/ after a voiceless consonant.
UK
/ɡreɪts/
US
/ɡreɪts/
great + -er
-er (comparative) is /ə/ in UK English and /ɚ/ in US English.
UK
/ˈɡreɪ.tə/
US
/ˈɡreɪ.t̯ɚ/
great + -est
-est (superlative) is always /ɪst/.
UK
/ˈɡreɪ.tɪst/
US
/ˈɡreɪ.t̯ɪst/
Words That Rhyme With Great
Questions About Great
How do you pronounce great in British English?
In British English, great is pronounced /ɡreɪt/. The narrow phonetic transcription is [ɡreɪt̚].
How do you pronounce great in American English?
In American English, great is pronounced /ɡreɪt/.
Do British and American English pronounce great the same way?
Yes. Both are /ɡreɪt/.
Nearby Words
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