How to pronounce grateful
Say it like GRAYT-ful. Grateful has two syllables, and the main stress falls on the first one (GRAYT).
Click the play button next to American or British to hear how to pronounce grateful. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- GRAYT
- ful
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Grateful pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- GRAYTSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "ay" in day.
- fulKeep this part quick and light. The vowel is the relaxed "uh" in about.
American vs British pronunciation of grateful
American and British speakers say grateful in essentially the same way: /ˈɡreɪtfəl/ in the US and /ˈɡreɪtfəl/ in the UK.
British respelling: GRAYT-ful.
What does grateful mean?
- feeling or showing gratitude“a grateful heart”“grateful for the tree's shade”
- affording comfort or pleasure“the grateful warmth of the fire”
Where does grateful come from?
From grate (“(obsolete) serving to gratify, agreeable, pleasing; grateful, thankful”) + -ful (suffix forming adjectives with the sense of tending to have or thoroughly having a quality).
Similar and opposite words
Similar meaning
Opposite meaning
Words that rhyme with grateful
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of grateful.
Questions about saying grateful
How do you pronounce grateful?
Say GRAYT-ful. The American pronunciation is /ˈɡreɪtfəl/. In British English it is /ˈɡreɪtfəl/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in grateful?
Grateful has two syllables, and the main stress falls on the first one (GRAYT). Broken into parts: GRAYT · ful.
Do Americans and Brits say grateful the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /ˈɡreɪtfəl/ and the British form is /ˈɡreɪtfəl/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.