4 syllables: E, lu, ci, date. Stress on lu.
il-OO-suh-dayt
/ɪˈlusəˌdeɪt/
Elucidate is pronounced il-OO-suh-dayt (/ɪˈlusəˌdeɪt/). It has four syllables (E-lu-ci-date), with the stress on "lu". Elucidate is a verb meaning to make something clear or easy to understand, often by explaining or illustrating. It emphasizes shedding light on a concept or problem so that its meaning becomes transparent. In formal or scholarly contexts, it’s used to describe the act of clarifying complex ideas for an audience.
nounElucidate is a verb meaning to make something clear or easy to understand, often by explaining or illustrating. It emphasizes shedding light on a concept or problem so that its meaning becomes transparent. In formal or scholarly contexts, it’s used to describe the act of clarifying complex ideas for an audience.
- Misplacing the stress: saying i-LU-si-date instead of ih-LOO-sih-dayt. Fix by marking beats: 1-2-3-4, giving the second syllable the primary weight. - Slurring the /luː/ into /ljuː/ or mispronouncing the long vowel as a short /ɪ/ in the second syllable. Practice the long /uː/ with a tight mouth corner and a preserved lip rounding. - Dropping the final /t/ or making it a glottal stop in casual American speech. Ensure a final, light alveolar /t/ with a crisp release. - Overly fast speed before comfortable rhythm; jeopardizes the /ˈluː/ vowel and /deɪt/ clarity. Slow to deliberate pace, then increase tempo gradually. - Not separating /luː/ and /sɪ/ enough, causing 'elucidate' to sound like 'elusidate.' Maintain a tiny pause or clear boundary between the syllables to keep the root 'light' and the 'lucid' sense what you mean.
How to Pronounce Elucidate
"The teacher used diagrams to elucidate the concept of photosynthesis."
"Scholars attempted to elucidate the causes of the economic downturn."
"The spokesperson spoke slowly to elucidate the company’s policy changes."
Pronounced ih-LOO-sih-dayt. Primary stress is on the second syllable: /ɪˈluː.sɪ.deɪt/. Begin with a light initial vowel, glide into a clear long 'oo' sound, then a soft dash into 'si' and a final 'date' with a voiced “d.” The mouthopens slightly for the 'l' and 'uː' sequence, with the final 't' being lightly aspirated in careful speech. You can listen to a precise pronunciation on Pronounce or Forvo and imitate the cadence in a sentence like 'The report aims to elucidate the mechanisms at work.'
Two frequent errors: misplacing the stress, saying 'e-LU-si-date' instead of 'i-LU-sih-dayt', and mishandling the final 't' so it sounds like 'date' with a strong t-closure rather than a softer end. Correct by practicing the diphthong in the second syllable (/ˈluː/), maintain a light lax vowel in the third syllable (/sɪ/), and finish with a clean alveolar stop /t/ after a brief pause if needed. Slow it to a syllable-by-syllable pace: ih-LOO-sih-dayt, then speed up while keeping the rhythm steady.
Across US, UK, and AU, the word keeps the same IPA core /ɪˈluː.sɪ.deɪt/, but vowel quality varies. US speakers often feature a tighter /ɪ/ in the first syllable and a slightly longer /ˈluː/ with less rounding. UK pronunciation tends toward a crisp /ˈluː/ with more precise syllable separation and slightly crisper /t/. Australian English tends to be slightly flatter vowels and a lighter final /t/, sometimes realized as a soft peak or even glottal stop in casual speech. Maintain the second-syllable long /uː/ and the final /deɪt/ with a clear /d/ and /eɪ/.
The difficulty lies in the multi-syllabic construction with a stressed second syllable and the mid syllable /sɪ/ followed by a glide into /deɪt/. The precise long /uː/ in the second syllable and the final diphthong /eɪ/ require clean, controlled articulation. Beginners often misplace stress, shorten the /uː/ or merge /deɪt/, or drop the final /t/. Focus on the strong /luː/ chunk, keep the /s/ clear, and finish with a crisp /t/. Practice in slow segments: ih-LOO-sih-dayt.
Does the word have a silent letter or unexpected consonant cluster? No silent letters here, but the challenge is the stressed, elongated /ˈluː/ and the sudden /j/ onset of the /sɪ/ sequence at the third syllable. Also note the need for a clear separation between /luː/ and /sɪ/ to prevent blending. Essentially: avoid running /luːsi/ together; keep /luː/ as a strong syllable, then briskly articulate /sɪ.deɪt/ without swallowing the /t/.
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- US: emphasize rhotic, with a clear /ɜr/ or /ɝ/? Not applicable here. Focus on the long /uː/ and explicit /d/ at the end; ensure the /t/ is audible but not heavy. The /ɪ/ in /sɪ/ should be lax but short. - UK: maintain CRISP /ˈluː.sɪ.deɪt/ with clearer vowel distinctions and slightly stronger enunciation on /d/ and /t/. Use unrounded but tense lips for the /ˈluː/ and precise tongue contact at /d/. - AU: more relaxed vowel space; avoid over-shouldering the /ˈluː/ and keep final /t/ lightly released; vowels can be a touch flatter. Reference IPA: /ɪˈluː.sɪˌdeɪt/ with clear second syllable and distinct /deɪt/.
Elucidate derives from the Latin word elucidare, formed from e- (a variant of ex-, meaning 'out') and lucere (to shine). The sense is 'to light up' or 'to make clear.' The term passed into English via Latin in the 17th century, aligning with other scholarly verbs that describe explaining or clarifying. The core metaphor is illumination: ideas are obscured when they are not illuminated by explanation, and elucidation is the act of turning on the light. Over time, elucidate became a formal, often academic alternative to more common verbs like explain or clarify, frequently appearing in philosophical, scientific, and legal writing to denote precise, thorough explanation. First known use in English records appears in scholarly prose of the early modern period, reflecting a growing emphasis on rigorous exposition in academia and governance.
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Words that rhyme with "Elucidate"
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