5 syllables: con, grat, u, la, ted. Stress on grat.
kuhn-GRACH-uh-lay-tid
/kənˈɡɹætʃəˌleɪtɪd/
congratulated is pronounced kuhn-GRACH-uh-lay-tid (/kənˈɡɹætʃəˌleɪtɪd/). It has five syllables (con-grat-u-la-ted), with the stress on "grat". Congratulated is the past tense form meaning to express praise or good wishes for an achievement. It typically describes someone who has offered congratulations after a success or milestone. In everyday use, it conveys warmth, recognition, and social acknowledgment, often in formal or semi-formal contexts.
Congratulated is the past tense form meaning to express praise or good wishes for an achievement. It typically describes someone who has offered congratulations after a success or milestone. In everyday use, it conveys warmth, recognition, and social acknowledgment, often in formal or semi-formal contexts.
- Common phonetic challenges include articulating the /tʃ/ digraph correctly after /æ/ and the final /ɪd/ sequence. If you’re not giving the /tʃ/ enough air, it becomes /tʃə/ rather than /tʃəleɪtɪd/. - Try not to reduce the middle syllable too much; keep the /ə/ before /leɪ/ clear. - Avoid over-enunciating the initial consonants; start with a relaxed /kən/ and then surge into /ˈɡrætʃə/.
"I congratulated her on winning the award."
"They congratulated him and invited him to speak at the ceremony."
"We congratulated the team after their hard-fought victory."
Break it as con-GRAT-u-lated. Primary stress on the second syllable: /kənˈɡrætʃəleɪtɪd/. The sequence features a /ɡ/ after a schwa, then /r/ with a light /tʃ/ blend before /ə/ then /leɪt/ before final /ɪd/. In careful speech you’ll hear: kən-GRAT-chuh-LAY-tid. IPA: US: /kənˈɡrætʃəleɪtɪd/, UK: /kənˈɡrætʃəleɪtɪd/, AU: /kənˈɡrætʃəleɪtɪd/.
Common errors: misplacing the stress (saying con-GRAT-u-lated or con-grat-u-LA-ted), and mispronouncing the /tʃ/ as a simple /t/ or /d/ (saying grat-ot-ated). Another pitfall is swallowing the /d/ at the end or not clear enunciation of the -ed as /ɪd/ rather than an 'ee' sound. Correction: keep primary stress on the second syllable; pronounce the /tʃ/ as a single affricate /tʃ/ sequence (not /t/ + /ʃ/); articulate the final /ɪd/ clearly as a separate syllable: -əl-eɪ-tɪd.
US: clearer /ɡrætʃəleɪtɪd/ with rhotic r and typical flapping or light /t/ depending on speed. UK: similar but non-rhotic; may have tighter vowels and crisper /t/; AU: often lengthened vowel before -ed and a slightly more clipped final syllable; all share the /tʃ/ cluster.
Two main challenges: the /tʃ/ cluster after /æ/ and the final -ed /ɪd/ sequence after a consonant cluster, which can lead speakers to distort the /t/ and shorten the final segment. Also, the secondary stress shift in fast speech can blur because the middle syllable carries the main stress. Focus on the /ɡrætʃ/ sequence and clearly enunciate the final /ɪd/.
Not always. In careful, slow speech, yes, the final -ed is /ɪd/ after a t/d-ending consonant cluster: /-tɪd/. In faster speech, it can be realized as /d/ or even a longer /ɪ/ before the d, depending on rhythm (e.g., kənˈɡræʃəleɪd). For standard pronunciation, keep /-əleɪtɪd/ with the final /-tɪd/ pronounced clearly.
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- US: rhotic /r/ presence; keep /ɡrætʃ/ crisp with rounded lips. - UK: non-rhotic, so /kənˈɡrætʃəleɪtɪd/ with a slower, more clipped /tʃ/ and no post-vocalic /r/. - AU: tends to flatter vowels; keep the /ə/ in the second syllable neutral; the final /tɪd/ may be slightly elongated. Always anchor on the /-leɪtɪd/ tail.
Congratulated comes from the verb congratulate, which derives from the Latin congratulārī (to wish together, to felicitate). The Latin prefix con- (together) plus gratulārī (to bestow thanks, to praise) fused into Medieval Latin congratulāre, then Old French congratuler, and finally English adoptation as congratulate. The -ed suffix marks the past tense in English. The sense development traces from the act of jointly offering wishes or blessings to the recipient’s achievement, expanding over centuries to include formal expressions of praise in social and ceremonial contexts. First known uses appear in Middle English and Early Modern English texts, mirroring the spread of celebratory conventions across European courts and rising literacy. Over time, congratulate evolved into a standard verb in American and British English, with congratulated the natural past tense form used in narrative recounting of praise given after events. It remains a high-frequency collocate with achievements, awards, milestones, and ceremonies.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "congratulated" and can often be used interchangeably.
🔄 These words have opposite meanings to "congratulated" and show contrast in usage.
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Words that rhyme with "congratulated"
-ted sounds
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