2 syllables: great, est. Stress on great.
/ˈɡɹeɪtəst/
greatest is pronounced /ˈɡɹeɪtəst/. It has two syllables (great-est), with the stress on "great". Greatest is a superlative adjective meaning the most great in degree, extent, or quality. It denotes the top extreme within a set or comparison. In pronunciation and use, it’s often stress-tressed on the first syllable, forming a concise, emphatic word used in both literal and figurative contexts.
Say it backGreatest is a superlative adjective meaning the most great in degree, extent, or quality. It denotes the top extreme within a set or comparison. In pronunciation and use, it’s often stress-tressed on the first syllable, forming a concise, emphatic word used in both literal and figurative contexts.
"She is the greatest athlete in the league."
"That achievement was the greatest challenge of my career."
"He has the greatest sense of humor among his friends."
Pronounce as /ˈɡreɪtɪst/. Start with a stressed first syllable GRAI-, with the long a as in 'great.' The second syllable is a short /ɪ/ followed by /st/. The final /t/ is released but not heavily aspirated. Mouth: jaw drops slightly; lips neutral; tongue high for /eɪ/V, then tip to alveolar /t/ and /s/ blends. Listen to native audio: focus on the crisp /t/ at the end and the clear /ɪ/ before it.
Common errors include turning the /eɪ/ into a short /e/ (graht-ist) or over-saparing the /t/ turning it into a /d/ in rapid speech. Another pitfall is elongating the first syllable too much (GRAA-tist) or dropping the /t/ cluster into a soft /s/ blend (great-sist). Correct by aiming for a clean /ˈɡreɪtɪst/ with crisp /t/ before /s/ and keeping the /ɪ/ short. Use minimal pairs to fix: great vs greyed, gate-st vs gate-sed.
In US and AU, the initial /ɡreɪ/ is rhotic or r-colored but the /ɹ/ is not strongly pronounced after vowels in non-rhotic contexts, while UK tends toward non-rhotic realization in many accents; nevertheless, the final /st/ cluster remains crisp. Vowel quality of /eɪ/ tends to be tenser in American accents; UK/AU may show slightly shorter diphthong duration and subtle vowel lowering before final /t/. Overall, the core /ˈɡreɪtɪst/ stays stable, with minor vowel length and rhotic variations depending on the speaker’s regional vowel system.
The difficulty lies in the final /t/ + /st/ cluster, which can blur in fast speech, and the /eɪ/ diphthong followed by a short /ɪ/ preceding /st/. Speakers often insert a vowel easing or merge /t/ into /d/ in rapid speech (graëdist). Staying crisp requires precise tongue closure for /t/ and maintaining short, unstressed /ɪ/ before /st/. Practice with steady tempo and minimal pairs to stabilize the sequence.
There are no silent letters in greatest; the pattern G-R-E-AT-EST reinforces two syllables with a stressed first syllable. The challenge is the /t/ before /st/ and ensuring the /eɪ/ remains a true diphthong rather than a prolonged /e/ in careful speech. Focus on keeping the /ɪ/ short and preventing vowel merging when transitioning to the /st/ cluster.
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Greatest comes from the adjective great, which derives from Old English godael (great, powerful) in early Germanic sources and ultimately from Proto-Germanic *grautaz. The modern form reflects the comparative -er and superlative -est suffixation that aligns with Indo-European adjectival derivation. The word great itself has cognates across Germanic languages, linked to concepts of magnitude and capability. Historically, great breadth of meaning extended from physical size to moral, intellectual, or worldly significance. By the Middle English period, great as an adjective took on superlative forms in various dialects, with greatest recorded in usage as early as the 13th century in texts that emphasize ultimate extent or degree. Over time, greatest has retained its core sense of surpassing all others within a set, maintaining strong collocational behavior with nouns denoting achievement, power, or significance.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "greatest" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "greatest"
-rd) sounds
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