How to pronounce “tenuous”
Say “tenuous” in 3 beats
tenuous
/ˈtɛnjəwəs/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /tɛnjuːəs/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- tɛtɛstress
- njənjə
- wəswəs
- IPA (American)
- /ˈtɛnjəwəs/
- IPA (British)
- /tɛnjuːəs/
- Respelling
- TE-nyuh-wuhs
- Syllables
- 3 — TƐ-njə-wəs
- Stress
- Stress the first syllable: TƐ-njə-wəs. “tɛ” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
- Part of speech
- adjective
- Difficulty
- Pro — the sounds are ordinary, the rhythm is where it slips
American and British are not the same here
/ˈtɛnjəwəs/
/tɛnjuːəs/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
What “tenuous” means
- adjective
having thin consistency
“a tenuous fluid”
- adjective
very thin in gauge or diameter
“a tenuous thread”
- adjective
lacking substance or significance; ; ; ; a fragile claim to fame"
“slight evidence”
Say it in a sentence
“His link to the family is extremely tenuous.”“tenuous”, answered
How do you pronounce “tenuous”?
“tenuous” is pronounced /ˈtɛnjəwəs/ (TE-nyuh-wuhs) in American English and /tɛnjuːəs/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “tɛ”. Build it as TƐ-njə-wəs, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.
How many syllables does “tenuous” have?
3: tɛ · njə · wəs. The beat lands on the first, “tɛ”.
Is “tenuous” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /ˈtɛnjəwəs/ (TE-nyuh-wuhs); British English says /tɛnjuːəs/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “tenuous” mean?
As an adjective: having thin consistency For example: “a tenuous fluid” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.
Where is the stress in “tenuous”?
Stress the first syllable: TƐ-njə-wəs. “tɛ” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Now say “tenuous” and see every sound
Record it once and sayit lines your audio up against the target sound by sound — what landed, what slipped, and what it sounded like instead.