One syllable: Eight.
ayt
/eɪt/
Eight is pronounced ayt (/eɪt/). It has one syllable (Eight), with the stress on "Eight". Eight is a homophone of the verb 'ate' and serves as a numeral indicating the quantity eight. In everyday speech, it often functions as a cardinal number or, in contexts like time or measurements, as an ordinal or unit count. Its pronunciation is a single closed-syllable sound that blends a long diphthong with a final voiceless stop.
nounEight is a homophone of the verb 'ate' and serves as a numeral indicating the quantity eight. In everyday speech, it often functions as a cardinal number or, in contexts like time or measurements, as an ordinal or unit count. Its pronunciation is a single closed-syllable sound that blends a long diphthong with a final voiceless stop.
"She invited eight friends to the party."
"It took eight minutes to finish the task."
"Eight is my lucky number, you know."
Begin with the diphthong /eɪ/ as in 'day', gliding smoothly into the voiceless alveolar stop /t/. There is no nasal end or syllabic consonant here; the word is a single syllable /eɪt/. The mouth starts with a wide open-mid position, moves toward a high front tongue position for the /ɪ/ portion of the diphthong, and finishes with a crisp /t/. In most accents, you’ll find a clean release without extra vowel coloring after /t/ when said in isolation.
Two common errors are: 1) treating /eɪ/ like a pure /e/ or /i/ leading to a shorter, clipped sound. 2) Not releasing the final /t/ fully, especially in quick speech, which turns it into a almost-blended 'eigh' or 'ate' without a crisp stop. To correct, maintain the /eɪ/ glide distinctly, then execute a sharp, short /t/ with a light breath release just after the tongue contacts the alveolar ridge.
In US/UK/AU, the core /eɪ/ vowel remains similar, but rhoticity and T-voicing can differ. US tends to have a stronger, crisper /t/ release and less lip rounding; UK often features a slightly more centralized or flattened diphthong with a sharper /t/, and some AU speakers may exhibit a softer /t/ or glottalization in rapid speech. Across these, the essential /eɪt/ sequence is preserved, with minor vowel duration and timbre differences.
The challenge lies in sealing the long diphthong /eɪ/ quickly before transitioning to the voiceless alveolar stop /t/. Some learners merge it with 'ate' or 'weight', causing confusion with similar-sounding words. Also, avoiding a voiced alternative like /eɪd/ in 'aide' requires precise elevating and timing of the tongue’s movement. Focus on the clean transition from the glide to the stop, with a crisp /t/ release.
A practical trick is to practice with decoy words that share the /eɪ/ plus /t/ sequence: say ‘bait, bat, bet’ as a quick drill, then replace the vowel with the /eɪ/ diphthong to converge on /eɪt/. Put your tongue near the alveolar ridge for /t/ and snap it off with a light breath. Recording yourself helps you hear the transition from the diphthong to the stop precisely.
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Eight derives from the Old English word echta or eight, from Proto-Germanic *ahtô, related to the Proto-Indo-European reconstruction *oḱtṓ. The root carried the meaning of a quantity of eight and was used in counting and measurements long before modern numerals. Over time, the spelling stabilized toward Eight in Middle English, paralleling the Great Vowel Shift’s impact on long vowel representation. The form echoes similar roots across Germanic languages (acht in German, otto- in some forms), all tracing back to ancient numeral systems that segmented days, goods, and people into groups of eight for calendrical and trade reasons. Early literary attestations appear in glosses and arithmetic texts, solidifying Eight as a basic numeral in English usage. The word’s phonology shifted to the modern /eɪt/ as the long A diphthong became standard in English pronunciation, while the final voiceless alveolar stop /t/ remained consistent in counting contexts.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "Eight" and can often be used interchangeably.
🔄 These words have opposite meanings to "Eight" and show contrast in usage.
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Words that rhyme with "Eight"
-ate sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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