How to pronounce "ratites" in English
ra·ti·tes
Hear native speakers say ratites in context across real video clips
Linguistic Pronunciation Masterclass: “ratites”
Phonetic mechanics, syllable architecture, and conversational cadence
Syllable Architecture & Stress Distribution
ra
Reduced vowel sound, relaxed jaw, and minimal vocal effort.
ti
Reduced vowel sound, relaxed jaw, and minimal vocal effort.
tes
Reduced vowel sound, relaxed jaw, and minimal vocal effort.
Keep the vowel length balanced, placing subtle emphasis on the root morpheme according to standard conversational rhythm.
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 "ratites" is followed by a word starting with a vowel, glide the final consonant into the opening vowel (e.g. "ratites is" sounds like "ratites-iz").
Maintain the stress-timed rhythm of English: compress unstressed syllables rapidly so the beat of "ratites" aligns naturally with adjacent words.
Authentic Spoken Quotes from Native Video Context
“And you can lay a molecular phylogeny of the ratites onto these continents and it just ties them right together.”— YaleCoursesWatch clip
“ostriches emu and other so-called ratites these are Then followed by the”— Harvard UniversityWatch clip
“They are They are true ratites.”— StanfordWatch clip
“Ostriches are part of the group of large, flightless birds called ratites, which includes birds like emus, rheas, cassowaries, and the now-extinct moas.”— SciShowWatch clip
“KIWI'S CLOSEST LIVING RELATIVES ARE RATITES; THESE ARE BIRDS LIKE OSTRICHES, EMUS, BUT KIWIS ARE PRETTY TINY COMPARED TO OTHER RATITES.”— Smithsonian ChannelWatch clip
Practice Speaking “ratites”
Listen to native pronunciation, record yourself repeating the sentence into your microphone, and receive real-time word-by-word accuracy scoring.
And you can lay a molecular phylogeny of the ratites onto these continents and it just ties them right together.
Hear it in context: “ratites”
5 clipsThe English word “ratites”. Phonologically, it consists of 3 syllables (ra · ti · tes). Grammatically, “ratites” functions as a adjective, noun. SayItVid indexes 5 authentic English video clips demonstrating how native speakers articulate “ratites” in natural connected speech across American (US: 5 sampled), British (UK), and Australian (AUS) accents, including verified broadcasts from YaleCourses, Harvard University, Stanford.
Spoken Video Transcripts & Contextual Quotes (5 Verified Clips)
- 🇺🇸 USYaleCoursesClip #1 · @21:55
“geography, at that point. And you can lay a molecular phylogeny of the ratites onto these continents and it just ties them right together. these continents and it just ties them right together.”
- 🇺🇸 USHarvard UniversityClip #2 · @12:08
“turns out the that the uh most basal group are the flightless birds such as ostriches emu and other so-called ratites these are Then followed by the chicken-like birds such as this uh malif foul this is a type of bird called a”
- 🇺🇸 USStanfordClip #3 · @44:21
“different species occur on different islands. And the best example of this are the two rheas, the two ostrich-like birds. They are They are true ratites. They are related to African ostriches. Um are They are true ratites. They are related to African ostriches. Um”
- 🇺🇸 USSciShowClip #4 · @0:28
“They also happen to be incredibly well-adapted to life as a huge, lumbering ball of feathers. Ostriches are part of the group of large, flightless birds called ratites, which includes birds like emus, rheas, cassowaries, and the now-extinct moas. birds like emus, rheas, cassowaries, and the now-extinct moas.”
- 🇺🇸 USSmithsonian ChannelClip #5 · @0:28
“AN AWESOME KIWI. KIWI'S CLOSEST LIVING RELATIVES ARE RATITES; THESE ARE BIRDS LIKE OSTRICHES, EMUS, BUT KIWIS ARE PRETTY TINY COMPARED TO OTHER RATITES. THESE ARE BIRDS LIKE OSTRICHES, EMUS,”
Definition & Meaning: “ratites”
- Pertaining to running, flightless birds with no keels on their sternums (as opposed to carinate).
- A member of a diverse group of mostly large, running, flightless birds that lack keels on their sternums, mostly extinct such as the elephant bird and the moa, but including the extant cassowaries, emu, kiwi, ostrich, and rhea; formerly grouped together in the order Struthioniformes, and including the Paleognathae except the tinamous.
Example Sentences (3)
- “Against what was probably the general expectation, it became undeniable that New Zealand was indeed the home of huge ratite birds.”
- “And you can lay a molecular phylogeny of the ratites onto these continents and it just ties them right together.”
- “ostriches emu and other so-called ratites these are Then followed by the”
Common Phrases & Collocations
Pronounce: “ratites”
- Syllables:
- ra · ti · tes
- Hear it in context
- ratites
Words that Sound Identical (Homophones)
Unique Sound"ratites" 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, "ratites" has a completely distinct phonetic identity.
Frequently asked questions about ratites
How many syllables are in “ratites”?
“ratites” has 3 syllables: ra · ti · tes.
What does “ratites” mean?
Pertaining to running, flightless birds with no keels on their sternums (as opposed to carinate).
How can I hear “ratites” used in real sentences?
This page has 5 real-world video examples of “ratites” 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 “ratites”?
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].