2 syllables: de, bates. Stress on bates.
duh-BAYTS
/dəˈbeɪts/
debates is pronounced duh-BAYTS (/dəˈbeɪts/). It has two syllables (de-bates), with the stress on "bates". Debates refers to formal or informal discussions where opposing viewpoints are argued and examined. It can also denote occasions or events in which people discuss controversial topics in a structured format. The term emphasizes exchange, reasoning, and persuasive presentation rather than mere dialogue. It can function as a noun (plural) or, in some contexts, as a verb form of debate.
Debates refers to formal or informal discussions where opposing viewpoints are argued and examined. It can also denote occasions or events in which people discuss controversial topics in a structured format. The term emphasizes exchange, reasoning, and persuasive presentation rather than mere dialogue. It can function as a noun (plural) or, in some contexts, as a verb form of debate.
- You may replace the /eɪ/ with a shorter /e/ or /ɛ/, making it sound like /ˈdɪɛts/ or /ˈdɪɛts/. Focus on preserving the glide from /eɪ/ to /t/ then /s/. - Final /ts/ can blend into a single /t͡s/ that isn’t crisp; practice releasing the /t/ clearly and adding the /s/ as a separate noise. - Stress misalignment: many say /ˈdɛbæts/ with wrong emphasis; remember the primary stress is on the first syllable, with a lighter secondary beat on the second. - Linkage: avoid swallowing the /d/; keep an audible onset to the second syllable for clarity.
"The presidential debates will be broadcast tonight and are expected to influence voters."
"In class, we held debates on climate policy, with students presenting pros and cons."
"The council scheduled a series of debates to address the controversial ordinance."
Pronounce as /ˈdɪˌbeɪts/ with primary stress on the first syllable and secondary emphasis on the second. Start with a light /d/ release, then a short /ɪ/ vowel, followed by a stressed /beɪ/ diphthong where the tongue glides from /b/ to /eɪ/. End with /ts/ as in ‘cats’. You’ll feel the tip of the tongue near the alveolar ridge for the /t/ and release into /s/. A short pause between syllables helps maintain the two-beat rhythm.
Common errors: (1) Flattening the diphthong /eɪ/ to a pure /e/ or /ɛ/; (2) Misplacing primary stress, saying /ˈdɛbats/ or /dəˈbeɪts/; (3) Slurring the final /ts/ into a simple /s/ or /t/. Correction tips: rehearse the /ɪ/ before /ˈbeɪ/ clearly, use a crisp /t/ release for the /t/ then a separate /s/ to avoid blending. Practice with: /ˈdɪˌbeɪts/ to reinforce two-stress pattern and enunciate the final affricate accurately.
In US English, /ˈdɪˌbeɪts/ features strong initial syllable stress and a clear /eɪ/ diphthong. UK English often keeps similar rhythm but may show slightly shorter /ɪ/ in the first syllable and crisper /t/; rhoticity isn’t typically phonemic in Received Pronunciation, so the /ɹ/ is not pronounced. Australian English often reduces the /ɪ/ to a schwa-like sound in the first syllable and may have a slightly higher, more centralized /eɪ/ quality; final consonant may be less forcefully released.
The difficulty centers on the two-part syllable rhythm and the final affricate /ts/. The first syllable contains a stressed light vowel /ɪ/ followed by a vowel glide /eɪ/ requiring precise tongue height; the transition from /beɪ/ to /ts/ demands a clean, unreleased stop release into a voiceless alveolar sibilant. Trapping air for /t/ and quickly articulating /s/ without a vowel between them is challenging, especially when speaking quickly.
Does the word ever reduce to /dɪˈbeɪts/ with a reduced first vowel in casual speech? In careful speech you’ll hear /ˈdɪˌbeɪts/ with clear second syllable emphasis, but in casual, rapid speech some speakers may compress the first vowel slightly, producing /dɪˈbeɪts/ or even /dɪˌbeɪts/ depending on tempo. Awareness of the balance between syllables will help you maintain clarity while sounding natural.
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- US: rhotic with a strong /ɹ/ in connected speech; the /d/ is clear, and the second syllable /beɪts/ has a bright /eɪ/ followed by an aspirated /t/ and crisp /s/. - UK: may reduce the first vowel slightly and maintain a crisp /t/; the /r/ is not pronounced in non-rhotic varieties. - AU: often more centralized vowels; /ɪ/ in the first syllable can sound closer to /ə/; final /ts/ can be subtle; keep air flow steady through /t/ and /s/ for crispness. - IPA references included above help anchor cross-accent comparisons.
Debate comes from the Old French debatre, from des- (remove) + battre (beat). The term entered Middle English with the sense of “to contend, argue” and carried the connotation of a public, formal argument. Over time, the word shifted from the act of beating or grappling with opposing views to a reasoned exchange of arguments. In modern English, debate denotes structured argumentation, often within a formal setting such as a debate tournament, parliamentary procedure, or policy discusión. The noun form debates pluralizes the activity, while the verb form debate (to argue about a topic) remains a common usage. The semantic field encompasses deliberation, critique, and persuasive communication, with connotations of evidence-based reasoning and logical progression. First known uses appear in late medieval English texts, with substantial attestation in political and scholastic discourse of the 16th to 18th centuries as public or formal argumentation became more standardized. The word’s evolution tracks the rise of organized rhetoric and debate societies in academia and government, reinforcing the social function of collective reasoning and decision-making.
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Words that rhyme with "debates"
-tes sounds
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