2 syllables: Se, lect. Stress on lect.
suh-LEKT
/səˈlɛkt/
Select is pronounced suh-LEKT (/səˈlɛkt/). It has two syllables (Se-lect), with the stress on "lect". Select is a verb meaning to choose or pick something from a set, often implying careful or deliberate choosing. It can also function as an adjective meaning of high quality or chosen emphasis. In everyday use, it typically conveys the act of selecting or selecting as a deliberate, discriminating choice.
verbSelect is a verb meaning to choose or pick something from a set, often implying careful or deliberate choosing. It can also function as an adjective meaning of high quality or chosen emphasis. In everyday use, it typically conveys the act of selecting or selecting as a deliberate, discriminating choice.
How to Pronounce Select
"Please select one option from the list."
"The committee will select the candidate based on merit."
"She selected a quietly elegant dress for the event."
Say si-LECT with primary stress on the second syllable: /sɪˈlɛkt/. The first syllable is a light, quick /sɪ/ followed by a clear, unstressed /ˈlɛkt/ with /l/ and the ending /kt/ slammed together. Think of it as two syllables with a lifted second syllable; avoid turning it into two equal, heavy syllables. IPA: US/UK/AU /sɪˈlɛkt/. Audio reference: listen for the stressed second syllable in standard dictionaries and native speaker clips.
Common errors include pronouncing it as SE-lect with stress on the first syllable (suh-LEKT) and slurring the final /kt/ into /t/ or /k/. To correct: keep the first syllable brief (/sɪ/) and ensure the /ˈlɛkt/ portion is clearly enunciated, ending with a crisp /t/. Practice by isolating the consonant cluster: /l/ + /ɛ/ + /k/ + /t/ in slow, precise repetitions, then speed up.
In US, UK, and AU, the core /sɪˈlɛkt/ pattern remains, with differences in rhoticity and vowel quality. US tends to be non-rhotic in some contexts but often keeps /ɚ/ in connected speech only in certain accents, while the second syllable carries the vowel /ɛ/ (short e). UK and AU generally maintain tighter /ɪ/ in the first vowel and a clear /ɛ/ in -lect, with slower or more clipped first syllable in careful speech. IPA remains /sɪˈlɛkt/ across varieties, but tendencies in connected speech vary.
Two main challenges: the final consonant cluster /kt/ can be hard to articulate crisply, especially after a short vowel, and the stress pattern requires lifting your voice on the second syllable without elongating the first. Additionally, the vowel in the first syllable is a lax /ɪ/ that can shift toward /i/ in fast speech. Focus on a crisp /lɛkt/ ending and keep the /ɪ/ brief and lightly stressed.
The consonant cluster /kt/ is tightly coupled; you should avoid inserting a vowel between /k/ and /t/. In fluent speech, /t/ may be released softly or glottalized depending on dialect and tempo, but for careful pronunciation, produce a clean, abrupt /t/ release after /k/. This ensures the word stays distinct and not confused with close phonetic neighbors like /sɪˈlɛks/ (which would imply a plural noun form).
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- US: Strong, quick /ɪ/ in the first syllable; final /kt/ release is crisp; rhoticity varies in rapid speech, but the word remains unaffected in standard careful speech. - UK: Slightly shorter first syllable, /ɪ/ closer to /iː/ in rapid speech but preserved in careful speech; final /kt/ remains crisp; non-rhotic tendencies affect vowel coloring in surrounding words. - AU: Similar to UK, with a tendency to adjacent vowels slightly broader; maintain /sɪˈlɛkt/ with clear /ɛ/. Reference IPA: /sɪˈlɛkt/ across varieties.
Select originates from the Latin selectus, past participle of eligere, meaning to pick out, choose, or elect. Eligere is formed from e- (out) + legere (to choose, pick). The term passed into Old French as selecion or selection, and then into Middle English as selecten/selection by the 14th century. Initially used in contexts of distinguishing between options or elites, the sense broadened to ordinary choosing and, later, to describe something that has been carefully chosen or of high quality. By the 17th–18th centuries, select acquired adjectives like “selected” and phrases such as “select men” (a discriminatory, now archaic usage). Throughout the modern period, select has retained both the verb and adjective senses, with the verb dominating everyday use and the adjective often appearing in marketing and formal writing to denote quality or exclusivity.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "Select" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "Select"
-ect sounds
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