Is “separate” two or three syllables?
“separate” has 2 or 3 syllables, depending on how you say it. Most dictionaries count 3. Adjective SEP-rit (2) or SEP-uh-rit (3); the verb SEP-uh-rate is always 3.
Every pronunciation, counted
| Say it like | IPA | Syllables | Count | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SEP-er-ayt | /ˈsɛp.ɚ.ˌeɪt/ | s eh p · er · ey t | 3 | CMU dictionary |
| SEP-er-it | /ˈsɛp.ɚ.ɪt/ | s eh p · er · ih t | 3 | CMU dictionary |
| SEP-ruht | /ˈsɛp.ɹət/ | s eh p · r ah t | 2 | CMU dictionary |
Syllables are shown in ARPAbet (the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary's phoneme alphabet). Respellings put the stressed syllable in capitals.
Why the count varies
Schwa dropping (syncope). An unstressed vowel between consonants drops out in fluent speech, so a syllable disappears: family becomes FAM-lee, camera becomes KAM-ruh. Dictionaries list the full form, the reduced form, or both.
What the dictionaries say
- Cambridge (UK) /ˈsep.ᵊr.ət/, /ˈsep.ᵊr.eɪt/
- Cambridge (US) /ˈsep.ɚ.ət/, /ˈsep.ə.reɪt/, /ˈsep·ər·ət/, /ˈsep·əˌreɪt/
- Wiktionary /ˈsɛp.əˌɹeɪt/ (GA,CA), /ˈsɛpˌɹeɪt/ (GA,CA), /ˈsɛp.ɚˌeɪt/ (GA,CA), /ˈsɛp.əˌɹæɪt/ (AU,NZ)
For haiku, sonnets and song lyrics
For haiku, sonnets and other syllable-counted verse, 'separate' is safest as 3 syllables, the count most dictionaries give. Poets have also used it as 2 syllables; either scans if the line is read naturally, but say which you mean if the count matters (haiku judges usually accept the dictionary count).
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Pronunciations from the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary, checked against Cambridge Dictionary and Wiktionary transcriptions. Hyphenation from the hyph_en_US patterns.