How to pronounce liberate
Say it like LIB-ur-rayt. Liberate has three syllables, and the main stress falls on the first one (LIB).
Click the play button next to American or British to hear how to pronounce liberate. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- LIB
- ur
- rayt
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Liberate pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- LIBSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "i" in sit.
- urGive this part a little weight.
- raytGive this part a little weight. The vowel is the "ay" in day.
American vs British pronunciation of liberate
American and British speakers say liberate in essentially the same way: /ˈlɪˌbɜˌreɪt/ in the US and /ˈlɪbəreɪt/ in the UK.
British respelling: LIB-uh-rayt.
What does liberate mean?
- Often followed by from: to allow or cause (someone or something) to be free; to set free, to release.
- To free (someone or something) from discriminatory or oppressive attitudes, inhibition, or restraint.“You need to free your mind and liberate yourself from prejudice.”
- To release (someone) from slavery; to manumit.
Where does liberate come from?
Learned borrowing from Latin līberātus (“freed, liberated; absolved, acquitted; released”); see English -ate (suffix forming verbs, and used as the ending of participial adjectives and obsolete past participles from Latin).
Questions about saying liberate
How do you pronounce liberate?
Say LIB-ur-rayt. The American pronunciation is /ˈlɪˌbɜˌreɪt/. In British English it is /ˈlɪbəreɪt/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in liberate?
Liberate has three syllables, and the main stress falls on the first one (LIB). Broken into parts: LIB · ur · rayt.
Do Americans and Brits say liberate the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /ˈlɪˌbɜˌreɪt/ and the British form is /ˈlɪbəreɪt/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.