4 syllables: Mag, ni, fi, cat. Stress on ni.
mag-NIF-ik-uht
/mæɡˈnɪfɪkət/
Magnificat is pronounced mag-NIF-ik-uht (/mæɡˈnɪfɪkət/). It has four syllables (Mag-ni-fi-cat), with the stress on "ni". Magnificat is a noun referring to a hymn of praise, traditionally attributed to Mary in the Bible and used in liturgies. It is also the name of a musical setting by Baroque composers. The term connotes exalted praise and thanksgiving, especially sung in worship contexts.
nounMagnificat is a noun referring to a hymn of praise, traditionally attributed to Mary in the Bible and used in liturgies. It is also the name of a musical setting by Baroque composers. The term connotes exalted praise and thanksgiving, especially sung in worship contexts.
How to Pronounce Magnificat
"She sang the Magnificat during the church service, her voice rising with serene reverence."
"The Baroque composer programmed a grand Magnificat that showed off the choir’s virtuosity."
"In Sunday liturgy, the Magnificat is often accompanied by orchestral interludes."
Pronounced MAG-ni-fi-cat (American and British English often render /mæɡˈnɪfɪkæt/). Primary stress on the second syllable: ni. Mouth position: start with /m/ lip contact, then /æ/ as in cat, followed by /ɡ/ with back of tongue, then /ˈnɪ/ with a relaxed jaw, /fɪ/ with a light labiodental fricative, and finish with /kæt/ with a clear /t/ release. For emphasis in titles or headings you may hear /ˌmægnɪfɪˈkæt/ with secondary stress on the fourth syllable in longer phrases. Audio reference: consult a reliable pronunciation database or YouTube phonetics tutorial for native speaker models.
Common errors: substituting /æ/ with /eɪ/ in the first syllable (mag- as in mag), adding an extra syllable after the second consonant (mag-NI-fi-cat instead of mag-NI-fi-cat), and misplacing the tip of the tongue for /f/ or misproducing the final /t/. Correction: keep /æ/ as a short vowel, deliver /ɡ/ tightly before /n/, ensure /f/ is a p-bit fricative without lip-closure loss, and finish with a crisp /t/ release. Practicing with minimal pairs helps lock in the rhythm: mag-NIH-fi-kat contrasts with mag-NI-fi-ka-t in stressed contexts.
US tends toward rhotic, with /mæɡˈnɪfɪkæt/ and a clear /æ/ in first vowel; UK often adds a slightly higher vowel and may reduce the final syllable to /ɪt/ or /kət/ depending on dialect; Australian tends to a more centralized /æ/ and may feature a softer /t/ or glottalized /t/ in casual speech. Across all, primary stress remains on NI; the rest of the syllables carry lighter weight, with slight vowel quality shifts reflecting regional vowel inventories.
Difficulties come from multisyllabic length, the cluster /ɡn/ after the first syllable, and the final unstressed -cat which can be realized as /kæt/ or /kət/ depending on accent. The initial /mæg/ and the /ɡn/ sequence require precise tongue positioning: raise the back of tongue for /g/ before the /n/, don’t insert an extra vowel between /mæ/ and /ɡn/. Mastery requires slow pronunciation, then speed without altering the stress pattern.
Magnificat uniquely combines a stressed secondary syllable with a consonant cluster /ɡn/ and an ending that can be pronounced as /æt/ or /ət/ depending on language influence. Its religious/liturgical context also amplifies careful enunciation in formal speaking. When teaching, highlight the /ɡn/ link and the secondary stress to ensure clear articulation in choir directions or program notes.
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Magnificat derives from Ecclesiastical Latin magnifīcat (magnificare, ‘to make glorious, praise’), ultimately from the Latin magnus ‘great’ and facere ‘to make/do’. The word appears in the Latin Vulgate Bible as part of the Magnificat anima mea Dominum (My soul magnifies the Lord). In liturgical use, Magnificat designated the canticle of Mary from Luke 1:46–55, projected into church services from medieval times onward. The term spread into musical contexts in the Renaissance and Baroque as composers set the canticle to elaborate polyphony and choral textures. By the 17th–18th centuries, “Magnificat” became a proper name for large-scale choral works, and today is widely used in liturgy and concert programming to denote either the text or the musical setting. In modern usage, it retains the sense of exalted praise and is recognized across Western Christian traditions as a title for both the canticle and musical settings. First known use in English citations dates to early printed Protestant and Catholic liturgies of the 16th–17th centuries, with increasing usage in concert program notes and musicology texts.
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Words that rhyme with "Magnificat"
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