One syllable: graft.
graft
/ɡɹæft/
graft is pronounced graft (/ɡɹæft/). It has one syllable (graft), with the stress on "graft". Graft is a noun or verb referring to the act of inserting one living tissue or organ surgically, or more commonly, to dishonest gains obtained through manipulation or corruption. In medical contexts it denotes tissue transfer or grafting procedures; in informal usage it can mean hard, often unscrupulous, effort to gain money or favors. The term also appears in horticulture to describe a joining of plant tissues. The pronunciation centers on a single stressed syllable with a hard final /ft/ cluster.
Graft is a noun or verb referring to the act of inserting one living tissue or organ surgically, or more commonly, to dishonest gains obtained through manipulation or corruption. In medical contexts it denotes tissue transfer or grafting procedures; in informal usage it can mean hard, often unscrupulous, effort to gain money or favors. The term also appears in horticulture to describe a joining of plant tissues. The pronunciation centers on a single stressed syllable with a hard final /ft/ cluster.
"- The surgeon performed a skin graft to repair the burn injuries."
"- He admitted to grafting money from the company through falsified invoices."
"- Horticulturists graft apple trees to combine traits."
Pronunciation: /ɡræft/ in General American; /ɡrɑːft/ in many UK/AU varieties. It’s a single stressed syllable with the final consonant cluster /ft/. Start with a strong /g/ plosive, follow with a short lax front vowel for US /æ/ (as in 'cat'), then release into /f/ followed immediately by a /t/. Tip: keep the tongue up for /ɹ/? Not here; the sound is a straight /gr/ onset, then /æ/ or /ɑː/ depending on accent, then /ft/. Audio reference: try listening to pronunciation sources like Pronounce or Cambridge dictionary entry for 'graft'.
Common mistakes: 1) Prolonging the vowel too long (say /ɡrɑːft/ in American contexts) when the vowel should be short in US; 2) Dropping the /f/ or misplacing it after a long vowel, producing /ɡræft/ or /ɡræft/? accuracy matters; 3) Adding an extra syllable as /graa-ft/; Correction: keep a crisp single syllable with a short /æ/ (US) or longer /ɑː/ (UK/AU) before the /ft/ cluster. Practice with minimal pairs to lock the /æ/ vs /ɑː/ timing and ensure the /f/ and /t/ are tightly connected.
+ US: /ɡræft/ with short /æ/, rhotic sound not relevant here; tight /ft/ cluster; UK/AU: /ɡrɑːft/ with longer /ɑː/ before /ft/ and non-rhotic r, broader vowel in some dialects; Some varieties may voice the /t/ very lightly or unreleased. IPA references align with /ɡræft/ vs /ɡrɑːft/. Expect less vowel reduction in AU compared to some US dialect forms; always ensure the final /ft/ is crisp.
The challenge comes from the short vs long vowel contrast in US vs UK/AU before the /ft/ cluster. In US you use a short /æ/ before /ft/; in UK/AU the vowel tends toward /ɑː/ and the /t/ can be unreleased in rapid speech. The /ft/ cluster requires precise closure: you must release /f/ into /t/ without a visible vowel between them. If you over-voice /t/ or cluster, you’ll sound like ‘grafft’ or ‘grafft’ with a drawn-out vowel.
Is the initial /gr/ onset truly a single consonant cluster for all speakers, or does some emphasis shift the /r/ into an /ɡɹ/ sequence? The expert answer: in most varieties, initial cluster is /ɡr/ (velar plosive plus trill approximant) rather than a fricative, with the /r/ rhotic in US, non-rhotic in many UK variants; the key is crisp /ɡ/ release into /r/ and then into the vowel before the /ft/.
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Graft originates from Middle English graften, from Old French greffe meaning ‘a graft, grafting; insertion of a piece of tissue.’ The sense of ‘to insert under another’s influence or to obtain by underhand means’ evolved in the 16th–17th centuries. The horticultural sense of joining plant tissues emerged alongside medieval practices of grafting fruit trees, and the medical sense evolved with advances in tissue transplantation. The word’s root relates to the act of binding or inserting, metaphorically extended to bribery or corrupt practices as those “bind” or “attach” gains to someone. First known use in English literature appears in the late 14th century in medical contexts, expanding in the 16th–17th centuries to describe corrupt gains and in modern times to broader corrupt practices as well as standard tissue grafting techniques in medicine and horticulture.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "graft" and can often be used interchangeably.
🔄 These words have opposite meanings to "graft" and show contrast in usage.
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Words that rhyme with "graft"
-aft sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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