How To Pronounce Illustrate

In British English, illustrate is pronounced /ˈɪl.ə.streɪt/. The narrow phonetic transcription is [ˈɪl.ə.str̥eɪt̚]. In American English, it is pronounced /ˈɪl.ə.streɪt/.

Illustrate 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.