How to pronounce corporate

In today’s business-driven world, many people are using the word corporate, even in non-English speaking countries. Whether you are talking about corporate design, corporate identity or something else, let me inform you about the correct pronunciation of corporate.

According to the OED, the correct pronunciation is either [ˈkɔːpərət] (British English) or [ˈkɔːrpərət] (American English). You can listen to both variants here. A fairly common alternative pronunciation is [ˈkɔː(r)pərɪt], with the ending pronounced like the word it. Finally, a common incorrect variant often used by nonnative speakers is [ˈkɔː(r)pəreɪt], that is, with the “-rate” part of corporate pronounced just like the word rate.