How To Pronounce Separate

The stress in separate moves depending on how the word is used.

Adjective. It is /ˈsep.ər.ət/ or /ˈsep.ər.ɪt/ in British English and /ˈsep.ər.ət/ in American English with the main stress on the first syllable, as in “separate rooms”.

Verb. It is /ˈsep.ə.reɪt/ in British English and /ˈsep.ə.reɪt/ in American English with the main stress on the first syllable, as in “to separate”.

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.