Heteronym
"Estimate" has two different pronunciations with two different meanings. Say ES-tuh-mit when it means a rough calculation or guess (noun), and ES-tuh-mayt when it means to calculate roughly (verb). Which one is correct depends entirely on the sentence.
noun
ES-tuh-mit
a rough calculation or guess
“Give me an estimate.”
verb
ES-tuh-mayt
to calculate roughly
“Please estimate the cost.”
Each button speaks the respelling, not the spelling — otherwise the speech engine would pick a single default pronunciation for both senses.
| Pronunciation | Part of speech | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| ES-tuh-mit | noun | a rough calculation or guess |
| ES-tuh-mayt | verb | to calculate roughly |
"Estimate" has two different pronunciations with two different meanings. Say ES-tuh-mit when it means a rough calculation or guess (noun), and ES-tuh-mayt when it means to calculate roughly (verb). Which one is correct depends entirely on the sentence.
Pronounced ES-tuh-mit, "estimate" is a noun meaning a rough calculation or guess. For example: "Give me an estimate."
Pronounced ES-tuh-mayt, "estimate" is a verb meaning to calculate roughly. For example: "Please estimate the cost."
"Estimate" is a heteronym: two distinct words that happen to be spelled the same way. English spelling did not standardise around pronunciation, so unrelated words sometimes converged on one spelling while keeping separate sounds.
See the full entry for “estimate”, browse all 76 heteronyms and stress pairs, or learn how English stress works.