Linked Questions
12 questions linked to/from Why are "south" and "southern" pronounced with different vowels?
3
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Why are "define" and "definition" pronounced with different vowels? [duplicate]
It just doesn't make sense.
"Define" has a long vowel and "definition" has short.
Isn't "definition" the noun form of "define"? Shouldn't both have the same ...
user129499
32
votes
1
answer
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Was "twelve" pronounced as "TPELF"?
I came across this piece of text and I for the life of me can't understand why "twelve" is written tpelf. I have encircled other numbers that are strange.
My friend who lives in New York ...
user127738
35
votes
3
answers
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Why are the pronunciations of 'bicycle' and 'recycle' so different?
It is obvious that both 'recycle' and 'bicycle' have a common element 'cycle'. 'Cycle' on its own is pronounced with a long 'I' sound /aɪ/. 'Cycle' in 'recycle' is pronounced how 'cycle' is normally ...
user126531
32
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1
answer
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Why is the W silent in "sword" but not in "swore"?
The word "sword" is pronounced /sɔːd/ (AmE: /sɔrd/) while "swore" is pronounced /swɔː/ (AmE: /swɔr/). The W in "sword" is silent because of the following round vowel; the ...
user119042
11
votes
3
answers
5k
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Why is "threepenny" pronounced as THREP.NI?
First of all, "threepenny" is a British word meaning "costing or worth three pence". It's quite an uncommon word. If you haven't heard it before, I'm pretty sure you would ...
user125597
13
votes
3
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5k
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Why are "LOse" and "LOOse" pronounced differently?
I know that both the words are pronounced and used differently. I also found another question on this site: "Use of loose and lose [closed]", but that is about the usage of the word. My ...
user128441
12
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3
answers
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How do I decide if an "i" is pronounced long or short?
I am an English teacher who has never really learned the complex rules of teaching pronunciation. Many learners here in Spain have difficulties deciding whether an "i" in a word is long or ...
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8
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1
answer
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Why are finite and infinite pronounced differently?
Finite rhymes with 'my time'. Infinite rhymes with 'minute' (as in seconds, minutes, hours and not minute, micro, small).
Why are i's in finite and infinite pronounced differently?
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6
votes
2
answers
323
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Why don't the vowels in "northern" and "eastern" get short like "southern"?
As you have probably seen the very recent question Why are “south” and “southern” pronounced with different vowels?
The only (excellent) answer suggests that it is because of "Trisyllabic Laxing&...
user119042
2
votes
2
answers
250
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Pronunciation in British v. American English
Why are words like privacy pronounced like /ˈprɪv.ə.si/ in British and /ˈpraɪ.və.si/ in American English (short vowel in the first case, long in the latter one)?
I read that determining whether a ...
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2
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2
answers
441
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Why are the vowels in "decisive" and "decision" different?
"Decision" is a very common and I have known it for most of the time in my life. It's pronunciation is /dɪˈsɪʒ.ən/. "Decisive" may be common in English speaking countries but I ...
user119042
-2
votes
2
answers
204
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Reason or rule for pronunciations [closed]
I am not a native English speaker and I am learning English.
Sometimes I will get baffled by the pronunciations used in English. It is very difficult to pronounce something just by looking at it. ...
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