2 syllables: Ac, cept. Stress on cept.
ak-SEPT
/æˈksɛpt/
Accept is pronounced ak-SEPT (/æˈksɛpt/). It has two syllables (Ac-cept), with the stress on "cept". Accept (noun): something offered or received as satisfactory, such as an award, invitation, or proposal. It denotes assent or approval in a formal or ceremonial context, often implying willingness to participate or comply. In everyday usage, it can refer to the act of receiving something with acknowledgment and agreement, sometimes carrying ceremonial or official weight in organized settings.
nounAccept (noun): something offered or received as satisfactory, such as an award, invitation, or proposal. It denotes assent or approval in a formal or ceremonial context, often implying willingness to participate or comply. In everyday usage, it can refer to the act of receiving something with acknowledgment and agreement, sometimes carrying ceremonial or official weight in organized settings.
"She accepted the invitation to speak at the conference."
"The delegation delivered their accepted proposal with a signed agreement."
"He nodded in acceptance as the terms were explained."
Pronounce it as /əkˈsɛpt/. Start with a schwa in the first syllable, then a stressed long e-like vowel in the second syllable for the 'cept' portion. The /k/ is a hard stop immediately before /s/; ensure a clean /k/ release into /s/ and finish with a crisp /t/. You’ll feel the tongue rise to the alveolar ridge for the final /pt/ cluster. Audio references: [Cambridge/Pronounce] often provide spoken examples to compare with your own pronunciation.
Common errors include: misplacing the stress (pronouncing /ˈæks-ɛpt/ with stress on the first syllable), slurring the final /pt/ into /p/ or /t/ (e.g., saying /ˈsɛpt/ or /ˈsept/), and pronouncing the initial reduced vowel as a full /æ/ without schwa. To correct: keep the /ə/ in the first syllable, land the stressed /ɛ/ clearly in the second, and produce a clean /pt/ sequence by releasing /t/ after the /p/ with a brief voiceless stop. Practice with minimal pairs linking vowel clarity and consonant separation.
In US/UK/AU, the primary variation is the initial unstressed schwa in /ə/ and the quality of the /ə/ vowel. US tends to have a slightly more rounded, mid-central schwa; UK may show a crisper /ə/ in fast speech; AU often features a more centralized vowel with subtle diphthongization in some speakers. The stressed syllable /ˈsɛpt/ remains steady across accents, but the preceding schwa length and tongue position can vary, affecting overall rhythm. The rhoticity is not a factor in this word since there’s no rhotic vowel in the stressed syllable.
The difficulty lies in the /k/–/s/ cluster and the final /pt/ release. The /k/ must be released cleanly into the /s/ to avoid a merged /ks/ or an elongated /k/. The /pt/ combination requires a quick, precise stop after the /p/ and a clear alveolar /t/ without voicing. Additionally, keeping the first syllable with a reduced vowel /ə/ while maintaining the strong stress on the second syllable can be challenging in rapid speech.
Does the noun form place any different emphasis than the verb forms in connected speech? In connected speech, the noun often retains the same stress pattern as the verb form when used in contrastive focus, i.e., AC-cept vs ac-CEPT in specific contexts. However, as a noun in casual discourse, speakers may reduce the first syllable slightly more, while still maintaining the /ˈsɛpt/ stress on the second syllable. Listen for context cues and adjust the first-syllable vowel length accordingly.
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Accept comes from the Latin acceptāre, meaning to take toward one’s self, to receive. The verb acceptāre is formed from accipere ‘to take, receive’ plus -ātus, a participial suffix indicating a completed action. In Late Latin, acceptāre evolved to mean ‘to receive with approval, to consent.’ English borrowed the term as a verb in the 14th century and as a noun later, with the noun sense of something that is accepted, admitted, or approved appearing by the 17th century. The core meaning shifted from the act of taking or receiving toward an act of agreement or approval and inclusion within a decision or ceremony. The word’s semantics align with other accept- family words like acceptable, acceptance, and recipient. First known uses appear in legal and formal contexts where an offer or proposal is formally accepted, reinforcing its ceremonial and official connotations in governance and social rituals.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "Accept" and can often be used interchangeably.
🔄 These words have opposite meanings to "Accept" and show contrast in usage.
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Words that rhyme with "Accept"
-ept sounds
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