How to Pronounce “interrogate”

American (US)

/ɪnˈtɛɹəɡeɪt/

British (UK)

/ɪnˈtɛɹəɡeɪt/

Australian (AU)

/ɪnˈteɹəɡæɪt/

verb — To question or quiz, especially in a thorough or aggressive manner.

Example: The police interrogated the suspect at some length before they let him go.

The final e is silent. The transcription /ɪnˈtɛɹəɡeɪt/ ends on a consonant sound, so the written e at the end of “interrogate” is not pronounced.

Where the stress falls. “interrogate” has 4 syllables, and the transcription /ɪnˈtɛɹəɡeɪt/ puts the primary stress mark (ˈ) before the second one — so the second syllable is the longest and loudest. The others are said quickly and lightly.

An unstressed vowel reduces to schwa. /ɪnˈtɛɹəɡeɪt/ contains a schwa /ə/ — the short, neutral “uh” that English unstressed syllables collapse into. Saying /ə/ there, instead of the vowel the spelling suggests, is most of what makes the word sound native.

What does "interrogate" mean?

interrogate (verb): To question or quiz, especially in a thorough or aggressive manner. For example — The police interrogated the suspect at some length before they let him go.

How do you pronounce "interrogate" in American vs British English?

Both accents use the same sequence of phonemes for "interrogate", /ɪnˈtɛɹəɡeɪt/, so the difference you hear is in how the vowels are coloured rather than in which sounds are used. Play both on this page to compare.

What is the IPA transcription of "interrogate"?

/ɪnˈtɛɹəɡeɪt/ in American English, /ɪnˈtɛɹəɡeɪt/ in British English, /ɪnˈteɹəɡæɪt/ in Australian English.

Which syllable is stressed in "interrogate"?

“interrogate” has 4 syllables, and the transcription /ɪnˈtɛɹəɡeɪt/ puts the primary stress mark (ˈ) before the second one — so the second syllable is the longest and loudest. The others are said quickly and lightly.