Hello, That is a very good question. There is a small difference in the pronunciation. Adapt sounds like A-daapt, where the 'apt' part sounds like the word app Adept is pronounced shorter than Adapt is. So it sounds like A- dept, where the 'dept' part sounds like 'depth' without the TH sound at the end, just the T. So in short, adapt sounds longer on the A, where adept is very short on the E. Pascale!

No, it isn't. The vowel sound of the second "a" in "adapt" is different from the sound of the "e" in "adept." A native English speaker says them differently and can hear the difference. I made a recording: http://vocaroo.com/i/s1A1Qihi0Qka adept, adapt, adept, adapt. eh, aah, eh, aah the eh sound: adept, bed, dead, slept, crept, adept the aah sound: adapt, happy, nap, capped, trapped, flapped, adapt. He is very adept at skiing. When speaking in front of an audience, I adapt my voice to the situation.

The third letter in adapt sounds like 'a,' for apple. The third letter in adept sounds like the 'e,' in elephant.

Consider some similar words: bad and bed; had and head; sat and set; past and pest; land and lend; jam and gem. If you know the difference between these words, then you know the difference between adapt and adept.