How to pronounce "prevaricating" in English
prɪˈvær.ɪˌkeɪ.tɪŋ
prih·VAR·ih·kay·ting
Primary stress: VAR
Hear native speakers say prevaricating in context across real video clips
Linguistic Pronunciation Masterclass: “prevaricating”
Phonetic mechanics, syllable architecture, and conversational cadence
Syllable Architecture & Stress Distribution
prih
Reduced vowel sound, relaxed jaw, and minimal vocal effort.
VAR
Gliding diphthong with sustained vocal resonance.
ih
Reduced vowel sound, relaxed jaw, and minimal vocal effort.
kay
Reduced vowel sound, relaxed jaw, and minimal vocal effort.
ting
Reduced vowel sound, relaxed jaw, and minimal vocal effort.
Primary emphasis falls on the second syllable ("VAR"). Raise your pitch and sustain the vowel length on this syllable while relaxing the surrounding syllables.
Common Pronunciation Traps & Learner Mistakes
The Trap: Pronouncing a hard, aspirated [tʰ] in casual conversation can sound overly formal in North America.
How Native Speakers Say It: In American English, a single "t" between vowels quickly taps against the alveolar ridge like a soft "d" ([ɾ]). In British English, maintain a crisp aspirated [tʰ].
Connected Speech & Natural Conversational Flow
When "prevaricating" is followed by a word starting with a vowel, glide the final consonant into the opening vowel (e.g. "prevaricating is" sounds like "prevaricating-iz").
Maintain the stress-timed rhythm of English: compress unstressed syllables rapidly so the beat of "prevaricating" aligns naturally with adjacent words.
Authentic Spoken Quotes from Native Video Context
“And unlike me, instead of prevaricating and hesitating, Adam just looked at me and said, “When do you want to start?” And we started writing the very next day.”— TEDx TalksWatch clip
“prevaricating all this is prevarication I was on the sort of Trail”— Native SpeakerWatch clip
“right so this is also the situation we have it's much more complicated than people being prevaricating but it's more also a question of new alignments and”— Native SpeakerWatch clip
Practice Speaking “prevaricating”
Listen to native pronunciation, record yourself repeating the sentence into your microphone, and receive real-time word-by-word accuracy scoring.
And unlike me, instead of prevaricating and hesitating, Adam just looked at me and said, “When do you want to start?” And we started writing the very next day.
Hear it in context: “prevaricating”
3 clipsThe English word “prevaricating” is transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) as prɪˈvær.ɪˌkeɪ.tɪŋ (phonetic respelling: prih-VAR-ih-kay-ting). Phonologically, it consists of 5 syllables (prih · VAR · ih · kay · ting), with primary lexical stress placed on the 2nd syllable (VAR). Grammatically, “prevaricating” functions as a verb. SayItVid indexes 3 authentic English video clips demonstrating how native speakers articulate “prevaricating” in natural connected speech across American (US: 3 sampled), British (UK), and Australian (AUS) accents, including verified broadcasts from TEDx Talks.
Spoken Video Transcripts & Contextual Quotes (3 Verified Clips)
- 🇺🇸 USTEDx TalksClip #1 · @6:20
“I think we should do that. And unlike me, instead of prevaricating and hesitating, Adam just looked at me and said, “When do you want to start?” And we started writing the very next day. Adam just looked at me and said, “When do you want to start?””
- 🇺🇸 USClip #2 · @5:02
“voted to leave and leave we must and I think but sooner everybody AC every stop prevaricating all this is prevarication I was on the sort of Trail prevarication I was on the sort of Trail”
- 🇺🇸 USClip #3 · @3:28
“while you know countries like singapore are not allies but they act like allies right so this is also the situation we have it's much more complicated than people being prevaricating but it's more also a question of new alignments and people being prevaricating but it's more also a question of new alignments and”
Definition & Meaning: “prevaricating”
- To deviate, transgress; to go astray (from).
- To speak or act in a manner that is intentionally ambiguous or evasive; equivocate.
- present participle and gerund of prevaricate
Example Sentences (3)
- “The people saw the politician prevaricate every day.”
- “And unlike me, instead of prevaricating and hesitating, Adam just looked at me and said, “When do you want to start?” And we started writing the very next day.”
- “prevaricating all this is prevarication I was on the sort of Trail”
Common Phrases & Collocations
Pronounce: “prevaricating”
- Pronunciation:
- prih-VAR-ih-kay-ting
- Syllables:
- prih · VAR · ih · kay · ting
- Written Hyphenation:
- pre · var · i · ca · ting
- Primary stress:
- VAR
- IPA:
- prɪˈvær.ɪˌkeɪ.tɪŋ
- Hear it in context
- prevaricating
Synonyms: “prevaricating”
Hear words related in meaning to “prevaricating” in real video clips:
Words that Rhyme with “prevaricating”
-ærɪˌkeɪtɪŋWords that Sound Identical (Homophones)
Unique Sound"prevaricating" (⁄prɪˈvær.ɪˌkeɪ.tɪŋ⁄) has no true homophones in standard English — there are no other words with identical pronunciation. Unlike sound-alike pairs like there / their or peace / piece, "prevaricating" has a completely distinct phonetic identity.
Frequently asked questions about prevaricating
How do you pronounce “prevaricating”?
“prevaricating” is pronounced ⁄prɪˈvær.ɪˌkeɪ.tɪŋ⁄ (prih-VAR-ih-kay-ting). Listen to the native-speaker clips above to hear it in real conversation.
How many syllables are in “prevaricating”?
“prevaricating” has 5 syllables: prih · VAR · ih · kay · ting.
Where is the stress in “prevaricating”?
The primary stress in “prevaricating” is on “VAR”. Listen for that stressed syllable in the clips above.
What does “prevaricating” mean?
To deviate, transgress; to go astray (from).
How can I hear “prevaricating” used in real sentences?
This page has 3 real-world video examples of “prevaricating” with synchronized subtitles. Use Previous / Next (or ← / → keys) to hear each one at the exact moment it is spoken.
What is the most common pronunciation mistake when saying “prevaricating”?
Pronouncing a hard, aspirated [tʰ] in casual conversation can sound overly formal in North America. In American English, a single "t" between vowels quickly taps against the alveolar ridge like a soft "d" ([ɾ]). In British English, maintain a crisp aspirated [tʰ].