How to pronounce devastate
Say it like DEV-uh-stayt. Devastate has three syllables, and the main stress falls on the first one (DEV).
Click the play button next to American or British to hear how to pronounce devastate. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- DEV
- uh
- stayt
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Devastate pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- DEVSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "e" in bed.
- uhKeep this part quick and light. The vowel is the relaxed "uh" in about.
- staytKeep this part quick and light. The vowel is the "ay" in day.
American vs British pronunciation of devastate
American and British speakers say devastate in essentially the same way: /ˈdɛvəsteɪt/ in the US and /ˈdɛvəsteɪt/ in the UK.
British respelling: DEV-uh-stayt.
What does devastate mean?
- To ruin many or all things over a large area, such as most or all buildings of a city, or cities of a region, or trees of a forest.
- To destroy a whole collection of related ideas, beliefs, and strongly held opinions.
- To break beyond recovery or repair so that the only options are abandonment or the clearing away of useless remains (if any) and starting over.
Where does devastate come from?
Borrowed from Latin dēvastātus, perfect passive participle of dēvastō (“to lay waste, devastate”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)); from dē- (augmentative prefix) + vastō (“to destroy, lay waste”).
Similar and opposite words
Similar meaning
Questions about saying devastate
How do you pronounce devastate?
Say DEV-uh-stayt. The American pronunciation is /ˈdɛvəsteɪt/. In British English it is /ˈdɛvəsteɪt/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in devastate?
Devastate has three syllables, and the main stress falls on the first one (DEV). Broken into parts: DEV · uh · stayt.
Do Americans and Brits say devastate the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /ˈdɛvəsteɪt/ and the British form is /ˈdɛvəsteɪt/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.