How to pronounce frustrate
Say it like FRUHS-trayt. Frustrate has two syllables, and the main stress falls on the first one (FRUHS).
Click the play button next to American or British to hear how to pronounce frustrate. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- FRUHS
- trayt
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Frustrate pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- FRUHSSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "u" in cup.
- traytGive this part a little weight. The vowel is the "ay" in day.
American vs British pronunciation of frustrate
- The stress moves: Americans stress syllable 1, while British speakers stress syllable 2.
British respelling: fruh-STRAYT.
What does frustrate mean?
- To disappoint or defeat; to vex by depriving of something expected or desired.“It frustrates me to do all this work and then lose it all.”
- To hinder or thwart.“My clumsy fingers frustrate my typing efforts.”
- To cause stress or annoyance.“This test frustrates me because if I fail, it'll destroy my grade.”
- Ineffectual; useless; fruitless.
Where does frustrate come from?
From Middle English frustraten (“to prevent, disappoint, render useless”), from Latin frūstrātus, perfect passive participle of frūstrō (“to deceive”), see -ate (verb-forming suffix).
Similar and opposite words
Similar meaning
Questions about saying frustrate
How do you pronounce frustrate?
Say FRUHS-trayt. The American pronunciation is /ˈfrʌˌstreɪt/. In British English it is /frʌˈstreɪt/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in frustrate?
Frustrate has two syllables, and the main stress falls on the first one (FRUHS). Broken into parts: FRUHS · trayt.
Is frustrate pronounced differently in British English?
Yes. The stress moves: Americans stress syllable 1, while British speakers stress syllable 2. The British form is /frʌˈstreɪt/ (fruh-STRAYT).