3 syllables: Ac, know, ledge. Stress on know.
ak-NAH-lij
/æˈknɑlɪdʒ/
Acknowledge is pronounced ak-NAH-lij (/æˈknɑlɪdʒ/). It has three syllables (Ac-know-ledge), with the stress on "know". Acknowledge means to recognize or admit something's existence, truth, or validity. It can also mean to express thanks or to indicate receipt of information. In everyday use, it signals awareness, respect for others, or formal recognition of a fact or event.
verbAcknowledge means to recognize or admit something's existence, truth, or validity. It can also mean to express thanks or to indicate receipt of information. In everyday use, it signals awareness, respect for others, or formal recognition of a fact or event.
- Mistake: dropping or misplacing the /n/ after /k/; correction: drill the /kn/ cluster: 'ack-noh-lij' with a visible /n/ sound; use mirror to ensure tongue blade touches alveolar ridge. - Mistake: mispronouncing the middle vowel as /ə/ or /æ/ instead of /ɒ/ or /ɒl/; correction: hold the jaw slightly open and relax lips; practice 'nɒl' as in 'not' to get the rounded British/AU quality. - Mistake: running the final /dʒ/ with the preceding vowel, causing /ɪdʒ/ to be too short; correction: lengthen the second syllable with a small breath before /dʒ/ to allow the /l/ to connect. - Mistake: over- or under-emphasizing the second syllable; correction: place main stress on the second syllable and reduce the first syllable to a quick /ə/ or /æk/ depending on dialect. - Practice approach: say the word in a sentence: ‘I would like to acknowledge your effort.’; then slow it down to isolate the targeted segments.
How to Pronounce Acknowledge
"I want to acknowledge your help with this project."
"The company will acknowledge receipt of your manuscript within five business days."
"She refused to acknowledge the impact of her decisions on the team."
Pronunciation: US/UK: /əkˈnɒl.ɪdʒ/; AU similar. The primary stress lands on the second syllable: nɒl.ɪdʒ. Start with a soft 'uh' /ə/ + 'k' /k/ to form /ək/. Then the consonant cluster /kn/ emerges as a nasal /n/ with preceding /k/. The final /ɪdʒ/ sounds like 'ij' in 'edge'. Place your tongue high at the back of the mouth for /ɒ/ or /ɒl/. It ends with a voiced alveolar affricate /dʒ/ like 'j'. Try saying it slowly: uh-KNOL-ij, then speed up. Audio reference: consult dictionaries like Merriam-Webster or Cambridge for native pronunciation samples to model intonation patterns.
Common mistakes: 1) Misplacing stress: stressing the first syllable as ACK-no-lEdge instead of uh-KNOL-ij. 2) Dropping the /n/ in /kn/: you might say /ˈæk.əˌlaɪdʒ/; keep the /n/ sound after the /k/ to form /kn/. 3) Mispronouncing the final /ɪdʒ/ as /dʒ/ alone or as /ɪdʒ/ without post-vowel length; ensure you keep the /l/ before /ɪ/ and articulate /dʒ/ after /ɪ/. 4) Vowel quality: US vs UK often differ in the middle vowel; aim for /ɒ/ as in 'not' for British/Australian, while some US speakers may use a broader /ɑ/. Correction tips: practise the sequence k-n-ol-ij; use minimal pairs with /n/ or /l/ contrast; use a mirror or recording to verify tongue position and lip rounding.
Across accents, main differences lie in the nucleus vowel of the second syllable and rhoticity. US speakers commonly use /əˈknoʊ.lɪdʒ/ or /əkˈnɒlɪdʒ/ with the /oʊ/ or /ɒ/ depending on region; UK and AU tend to use /əˈknɒl.ɪdʒ/ with a shorter /ɒ/ in the stress-syllable. Rhoticity: US is generally rhotic, but 'acknowLEDGE' maintains /lɪdʒ/ regardless of rhoticity; UK tends to have a shorter, non-rhotic 'a' in allied syllables. Vowel length and quality in the /ɒ/ or /oʊ/ varies by region. Listen to native samples for subtle vowel shifts, particularly in unstressed vowels.
This word is tricky due to the consonant cluster /kn/ after a preceding vowel, which makes the 'k' effectively silent in some dialects but not in others, requiring precise articulation of /k/ and /n/ together. The middle vowel can shift (US: /ɒ/ vs UK/AU: /ɒ/ or /ɒl/), and the final /ɪdʒ/ blends quickly with the preceding /l/ sound. Mastery requires coordinating alveolar /dʒ/ with a clear /l/ before it and maintaining the correct stress on the second syllable. Practice with slow drills to stabilize tongue placement and jaw movement.
No silent letters in the standard pronunciation. The initial 'kn' pair produces /n/ after the /k/ in 'ack-'; the 'k' is part of the /k/ in /k/ and the 'w' is not silent; it belongs to the 'ackn- ' cluster where 'ac' provides /ək/ and 'kn' yields /n/. The 'e' at the end is not silent; it contributes to the /ɪdʒ/ via linking. In careful or careful-paced speech, you still articulate the /l/ before /dʒ/, so there are no silent letters in typical native speech.
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- US: includes a stronger /ɒ/ or /ɑ/ in the stressed second syllable; keep /ɹ/ not exempt; release the final /dʒ/ quickly but clearly; maintain rhoticity in connected speech; /əˈknɑlɪdʒ/ might be heard. - UK: more clipped /əˈknɒlɪdʒ/ with shorter vowel /ɒ/ and a less pronounced /r/; keep the /l/ crisp before final /dʒ/. - AU: often similar to UK but with broader vowel in /ɒ/ and a slightly less 'clear' /dʒ/; practice with a slightly more open jaw posture; ensure the /l/ is clear before /dʒ/. - IPA references: US /əˈknoʊlɪdʒ/ or /əkˈnɒlɪdʒ/; UK /əˈknɒlɪdʒ/; AU /əˈknɒlɪdʒ/.
Origin: from Old English oncnawlican 'to recognize' from on- 'against, toward' + cnawan 'know' with assimilation to kn-; later influenced by Middle English 'acknowleigen' formation; The modern form 'acknowledge' appears in 15th century with sense development from 'to admit' to 'to recognize'. The verb combines 'ac-' prefix (from French ad- assimilation) with 'know' root, resulting meaning expansion to 'to admit the fact of' and 'to express recognition or thanks'. The sense of 'receipt of' arises from 'to acknowledge' receipt, as in 'acknowledge receipt of a letter'. Etymology details continue: The suffix -ledge not a suffix here; the -ledge portion is from 'know' via 'cnawan' -> 'know' related to cognate with German kennen; In Middle English, forms like 'acknowleignen' existed; First documented use: late 15th century, with legal and rhetorical uses; Semantic evolution shows shift from 'to admit' to 'to acknowledge and revere' to 'to consider known' etc. By the 17th-18th centuries the sense broadened to social acknowledgment, thanks, and formal recognition in commerce (receipt). The word's pronunciation and spelling stabilized in Early Modern English. The modern spelling 'acknowledge' reflects the heteroclitic development where 'kn' cluster remained, and the 'w' is silent in some pronunciations? Actually the 'k' is pronounced; 'ack' starts with /ək/ sound; the 'kn' is quiet 'k' is pronounced? In 'know', 'k' is silent. In 'acknowledge', the initial 'kn' becomes /n/ after the 'ac' syllable; So it's complex: 'a-ck-now-le-dge' the 'ckn' cluster yields /kn/ sound? The standard pronunciation is /əkˈnɒl.ɪdʒ/ US, /əkˈnɒl.ɪdʒ/ UK; The 'kn' is pronounced as /n/? The 'acknow' syllable 'ac-kn' yields /əkˈnɒl/? The 'kn' is pronounced as /n/? In 'know', 'kn' silent k; in 'acknowledge', 'kn' after vowel? It is /kənˈɒlɪdʒ/? Wait typical transcription: /əkˈnɒlɪdʒ/. This indicates 'kn' pronounced as /n/ with preceding /k/ from 'ck' giving /k/; So 'ac' gives /ək/; then 'n' 'ol' etc. There is not a nasal assimilation; It's /ək-ˈnɒl.ɪdʒ/. So we should provide phonetics properly for us/uk/au. Provide IPA: US: /əkˈnɑːlɪdʒ/ or /əkˈnɒlɪdʒ/ depending on vowel; UK: /əkˈnəʊlə.dʒ/? Hmm. For UK: 'acknowledge' has /ˈæk.nɒ.lɪdʒ/ or /əkˈnɒl.ɪdʒ/? Many dictionaries list US /əkˈnɑːlɪdʒ/; UK /əkˈnɒlɪdʒ/ or /ˈæk.nɒl.ɪdʒ/; Australian similar to UK. We'll provide: US: /əkˈnɑːlɪdʒ/ (some say /ˈæk.nɒl.ɪdʒ/). To be safe: provide Cambridge/Merriam style: US: /əkˈnɒlɪdʒ/; UK: /əkˈnɒl.ɪdʒ/; AU: /əkˈnɒl.ɪdʒ/. We'll present with common variants: US: /əkˈnɑːlɪdʒ/ or /əkˈnɒlɪdʒ/. UK: /əkˈnɒlɪdʒ/; AU: /əkˈnɒl.ɪdʒ/.
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Words that rhyme with "Acknowledge"
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