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HOW TO PRONOUNCE

gnat

/næt/

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American Pronunciation Guide · 1:05
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Say the initial “n” without “g.”

Gnat has one syllable with the short a heard in cat. The written g is silent; finish with t without adding a vowel after it.

1 syllable

TRY SAYING
A gnat hovered above the pond.

APG practice sentence · CC BY-SA 4.0

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary

What does gnat mean?

noun

  1. A biting insect, especially a mosquito.
  2. (informal) An annoying person.
More meanings (1)

noun

  1. (historical) A type of jet fighter aircraft.

Definitions regrouped for readability · CC BY-SA 4.0

IPA pronunciation

/næt/

Pronunciation used in the listening tip.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary

Pronunciation varies by speaker and region. About these dictionary pronunciations.

In the pages of books

See this word in context.

Presently he reached the spot where the little Gnat hung panting at the tip of the waving grass-blade.
Sara Cone BryantHow to Tell Stories to Children, and Some Stories to TellProject Gutenberg ebook #474
“Ahok! there! Please, Mister Oak, a gnat have just flewed into my stomach and brought the cough on again!”
Thomas HardyFar from the Madding CrowdProject Gutenberg ebook #27
More book examples (3)
Enormous gearing, the prime motor of which is the gnat, and whose final wheel is the zodiac.
Victor HugoLes MisérablesTranslated by Isabel Florence HapgoodProject Gutenberg ebook #135
When once this Gnat had disappeared--and the life of the Mosquito is not a long one--the bird would die of starvation.
Jean-Henri FabreMore Hunting WaspsTranslated by Alexander Teixeira de MattosProject Gutenberg ebook #3462
O heaven, that there were but a mote in yours, A grain, a dust, a gnat, a wandering hair, Any annoyance in that precious sense!
William ShakespeareThe Complete Works of William ShakespeareProject Gutenberg ebook #100