3 syllables: del, e, gate. Stress on del.
DEL-uh-gayt
/ˈdɛləˌɡeɪt/
delegate is pronounced DEL-uh-gayt (/ˈdɛləˌɡeɪt/). It has three syllables (del-e-gate), with the stress on "del". Delegate (n. or v.) refers to a person selected to act on behalf of others, or the act of entrusting tasks to others. In professional contexts, delegating involves assigning responsibilities while maintaining accountability. As a verb, it often means to allocate duties to team members; as a noun, it denotes a person authorized to represent a group or organization. The term is common in management and political settings and emphasizes entrusted authority and responsibility.
Delegate (n. or v.) refers to a person selected to act on behalf of others, or the act of entrusting tasks to others. In professional contexts, delegating involves assigning responsibilities while maintaining accountability. As a verb, it often means to allocate duties to team members; as a noun, it denotes a person authorized to represent a group or organization. The term is common in management and political settings and emphasizes entrusted authority and responsibility.
- You may misplace the stress, saying /ˈdɛlɪɡeɪt/ with weak first syllable; focus on delivering a strong first syllable /ˈdɛl-/. - The middle vowel /ɪ/ can be swallowed in fast speech, causing /ˈdɛlɡeɪt/; practice keeping /ɪ/ as a distinct, short vowel before /ɡ/. - Final /eɪt/ can be rushed or muffled; work on a crisp, trailing glide /eɪt/ after the /ɡ/.
"The project manager delegated the surveying work to a junior engineer."
"During the conference, delegates from multiple countries debated policy proposals."
"You should delegate routine tasks to free up time for strategic planning."
US: /ˈdɛlɪɡeɪt/; UK: /ˈdelɪɡeɪt/; AU: /ˈdɛlɪɡeɪt/. Stress is on the first syllable (DEL-ih-geyt). The middle syllable contains a short /ɪ/ before the /ɡ/, and the final is /eɪt/. Tip: keep the /ɡ/ light, so the final /eɪt/ is clear and not swallowed. Mouth: start with a wide open front vowel for /dɛ/, then a quick /l/ with a relaxed tongue tip, then /ɪ/ as a short relaxed vowel, then /ɡ/ with a soft stop, and finish with /eɪt/ with a gentle glide. Audio guidance from standard dictionaries can reinforce this sequence.
Common errors: (1) Pronouncing as /ˌdɛlɪˈɡeɪt/ with incorrect secondary stress on the second syllable; correct is stress on the first syllable with a clear /ˈdɛlɪ-/ onset. (2) Merging /ˈdɛlɪɡeɪt/ into /ˈdɛlɡeɪt/ dropping the middle /ɪ/; include a distinct /ɪ/ before /ɡeɪt/. (3) Overemphasizing the /ɡ/ or making the final /eɪt/ too open, leading to /ˈdɛlɪɡeɪt/ distinct; keep a light /ɡ/ and crisp /eɪt/. Correction: practice the three-beat sequence /ˈdɛl-ɪ-ɡeɪt/ with a gentle, not strong, /ɡ/ and a precise /eɪt/ ending.
US: rhotic /ɹ/ is present; primary stress on first syllable; maintains /ɡeɪt/ at the end. UK: similar first-syllable stress but slightly shorter /ɪ/ and a crisper /t/ at the end; non-rhoticity is not prominent in this word, but regional variants may mute the /t/ ~ /dʒ/ like in some dialects. AU: often a more open pre-vocalic sequence, with a clearer /ɡeɪt/ ending and sometimes a softer /t/ or glottal stop depending on speaker. Note: IPA remains /ˈdɛlɪɡeɪt/ (US/AU) and /ˈdelɪɡeɪt/ (UK).
Difficulties center on syllable-timed pacing, the cluster /dɪl/ followed by /ɡeɪt/ with a short vowel and clear vowel shift from /ɪ/ to /eɪ/. The challenge is producing a precise, short /ɪ/ between the /l/ and /ɡ/, and then a crisp /eɪt/ without deflating the final vowel. Additionally, many speakers drop the /ɪ/ in fast speech, leading to /ˈdɛldʒeɪt/ or /ˈdɛlɡeɪt/—avoid these by anchoring the /ɪ/ clearly before /ɡ/.
Yes: does the word’s first syllable carry the primary stress even when used as a verb in fast, sentence-level speech? In many contexts, speakers maintain the primary stress on the first syllable whether used as a noun or verb, but natural speech in rapid delivery can blur this, sounding like /ˈdɛlɪɡeɪt/ more evenly. The key is maintaining the initial strong beat and not shifting stress to the second syllable in normal usage.
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US: rhotic /ɹ/ is not a factor here; focus on a broad /ɡeɪt/ and clear first syllable. UK: slight shortening of middle vowel, crisper /t/; keep /ɡeɪt/ piece tight. AU: sometimes a more open vowel in /ɛ/ and a softer /t/ or glottal stop; maintain the /eɪt/ with clear /t/ end. IPA references: US/UK /ˈdɛlɪɡeɪt/ vs /ˈdelɪɡeɪt/; AU /ˈdɛlɪɡeɪt/. Tips: practice with minimal pairs to lock vowel quality differences, e.g., /dɛl/ vs /dɛlɪ/.
Delegate comes from the Latin deligare, meaning to bind or tie (to assign) through the mid-16th century. The root lig- (“to bind”) evolved into lig- in English, with de- (a form of di- meaning removal or separation) signaling a shift in meaning toward sending a representative to act on behalf of a group. The noun form, delegate, appeared in English around the 15th to 16th centuries, initially describing someone sent to deliver a message or advocate on behalf of a group. Over time, the sense broadened to include anyone authorized to act for others, particularly in formal or organizational settings. The word’s usage intensified in political and corporate vernacular in the 19th and 20th centuries, paralleling the rise of delegated authority in complex institutions. In modern usage, delegation is a central leadership skill, with “delegate” functioning as both a role (a person) and a verb (to assign duties).
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Words that rhyme with "delegate"
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