4 syllables: Ap, pre, ci, ate. Stress on pre.
uh-PREE-shee-ayt
/əˈpɹiʃiˌeɪt/
Appreciate is pronounced uh-PREE-shee-ayt (/əˈpɹiʃiˌeɪt/). It has four syllables (Ap-pre-ci-ate), with the stress on "pre". Appreciate is a verb meaning to recognize the value or importance of someone or something, or to be grateful for a gift or kindness. It can also mean to increase in value or to estimate the monetary or intrinsic worth of something. In everyday use, it often conveys gratitude, recognition, or a nuanced understanding of merit. The sense ranges from emotional gratitude to intellectual valuation.
verbAppreciate is a verb meaning to recognize the value or importance of someone or something, or to be grateful for a gift or kindness. It can also mean to increase in value or to estimate the monetary or intrinsic worth of something. In everyday use, it often conveys gratitude, recognition, or a nuanced understanding of merit. The sense ranges from emotional gratitude to intellectual valuation.
- Common Mistake 1: Underpronouncing the second syllable /ˈpriː/ by shortening the long vowel. Fix: hold the /iː/ long enough while transitioning to /ʃ/. - Common Mistake 2: Slurring /ʃi/ with /iː/ or /ʃ/ into a consonant-heavy ending. Fix: keep /ʃ/ crisp and separate the /i/ from the following vowel. - Common Mistake 3: Stress misplacement in fast speech; people sometimes put stress on the first syllable. Fix: maintain secondary stress on the second syllable and keep the final /eɪt/ as a clear cue.
How to Pronounce Appreciate
"I really appreciate your help with this report."
"You’ll come to appreciate the benefits of regular practice over time."
"The museum’s new exhibit is appreciated by both critics and visitors."
Pronunciation is /əˈpriː.ʃi.eɪt/. Start with a schwa /ə/. The primary stress falls on the second syllable /ˈpriː/. The middle vowel is a long /iː/ as in 'see', and the final /eɪt/ is a long diphthong like in 'wait'. Mouth positions: relaxed lips for /ə/, tongue high for /iː/, and a smooth glide into /eɪt/. Audio reference: consult a standard dictionary or Pronounce video; you’ll hear the same pattern in careful speech.
Two common errors: misplacing stress (say /əˈpriːt/ or /ˌæp.rɪˈsiː.eɪt/) and mispronouncing the final /eɪt/ as /et/ or /eɪt/ with a shortened vowel. Correct by keeping the second syllable strong: /ˈpriː/ with long /iː/ and ensuring the final /eɪt/ has a full diphthong and not a clipped /t/. Practice the sequence: /ə - ˈpriː - ʃi - eɪt/.
In US, UK, and AU, the core /əˈpriː.ʃi.eɪt/ remains, but vowel quality can shift. US tends to reduce the initial vowel a touch and may slightly lengthen the /iː/ in multi-syllable pace; UK often holds a crisper /ːiː/ with less vowel time; AU can display a flatter /ʉː/ in some speakers and a less pronounced /ˈpriː/ due to non-rhotic tendencies with the middle /ʃ/ remaining consistent. Overall, rhotics influence US more prominently in non-stressed vowels.
Key challenges are the multi-syllabic sequence and the long /iː/ in the second syllable, followed by a fast /ʃi/ cluster and the final /eɪt/ glide. The transition between /priː/ and /ʃi/ can blur in rapid speech. Also, the slight shwa onset requires controlled articulation. Focus on precise syllable timing: a clear /ə/ + /ˈpriː/ + /ʃi/ + /eɪt/, keeping the long vowel audible.
Why is the middle sonority sequence /priː.ʃi/ particularly tricky? Because you move from a stressed long vowel /iː/ immediately into a voiceless /ʃ/ before a light /i/ vowel. This rapid consonant-vowel cluster demands clean closure of the /iː/ and a precise /ʃ/ articulation, so you don’t slip into a heavier /r/ or mispronounce the /i.eɪ/ glide that follows. Practice by isolating /priː.ʃi/ and then adding the final /eɪt/.
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- US: rhotic environment affects surrounding vowels; ensure non-rhotic Americans still maintain clear /r/ only in rhotic positions. - UK: crisper vowel timing; avoid vowel reduction; keep /ə/ minimal in fast speech; /ˈpriː/ pronounced distinctly with clear /iː/. - AU: flatter intonation; slightly reduced diphthong; maintain /ˈpriː.ʃi.eɪt/ with a restrained ending; use smaller mouth opening for /ə/. IPA references: /əˈpriː.ʃi.eɪt/ across variants.
Appreciate comes from the Latin appreciatus, the past participle of appreciere, meaning to perceive or to value. Appreciatus is formed from ad- (toward) + appreci- (to value, to perceive) + -atus (a participial suffix). The root appreci- derives from Latin appreciare, which is attested in Classical Latin as to perceive, recognize, or value. Through Old French and Middle English, the word entered English with the sense of recognizing value or importance, and later expanded to gratitude and acknowledgment. By the 15th–17th centuries, it carried both the sense of recognizing worth and feeling grateful for favors received. In modern usage, appreciate also appears in financial and mathematical contexts (to increase in value) and in colloquial speech to acknowledge or enjoy something. First known use in English traces to the late 15th century in the sense of recognizing value, with the emotional sense developing in the early modern period and now dominating common usage in gratitude and acknowledgment.
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Words that rhyme with "Appreciate"
-ate sounds
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