How to pronounce hyphenate
Say it like HY-fuh-nayt. Hyphenate has three syllables, and the main stress falls on the first one (HY).
Click the play button next to American or British to hear how to pronounce hyphenate. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- HY
- fuh
- nayt
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Hyphenate pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- HYSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "i" in time.
- fuhKeep this part quick and light. The vowel is the relaxed "uh" in about.
- naytGive this part a little weight. The vowel is the "ay" in day.
American vs British pronunciation of hyphenate
American and British speakers say hyphenate in essentially the same way: /ˈhaɪfəˌneɪt/ in the US and /ˈhaɪfəˌneɪt/ in the UK.
British respelling: HY-fuh-nayt.
What does hyphenate mean?
- to break a word at the end of a line according to the hyphenation rules by adding a hyphen on the end of the line.
- to join words or syllables with a hyphen.“you have to hyphenate his surname as it's double-barrelled”
- A person or object with multiple duties, abilities or characteristics, such as "writer-director", "actor-model", or "singer-songwriter".
- A person whose ethnicity is a multi-word hyphenated term, such as "African-American".
Where does hyphenate come from?
From hyphen + -ate (verb-forming suffix).
Questions about saying hyphenate
How do you pronounce hyphenate?
Say HY-fuh-nayt. The American pronunciation is /ˈhaɪfəˌneɪt/. In British English it is /ˈhaɪfəˌneɪt/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in hyphenate?
Hyphenate has three syllables, and the main stress falls on the first one (HY). Broken into parts: HY · fuh · nayt.
Do Americans and Brits say hyphenate the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /ˈhaɪfəˌneɪt/ and the British form is /ˈhaɪfəˌneɪt/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.