How To Pronounce Designate

In British English, designate is pronounced /ˈdez.ɪɡ.neɪt/. The narrow phonetic transcription is [ˈdez.ɪɡ.neɪt̚]. In American English, it is pronounced /ˈdez.ɪɡ.neɪt/.

Designate has three syllables, and the main stress falls on the first syllable. British and American speakers say it the same way.

Slashes / / show the phonemic transcription, the sounds that change meaning. Square brackets [ ] show the phonetic transcription, with the finer detail of how the sounds are actually made.