How to pronounce "contumelious" in English
ˌkɑn.tʊˈmiː.li.əs
kahn·tuu·MEE·lee·əs
Primary stress: MEE
We haven’t indexed spoken video clips for this word in our library yet. You can listen to its audio pronunciation, review phonetic IPA, and check definitions below.
No video clips indexed yet for “contumelious”
We haven’t indexed spoken video clips for this word in our library yet. You can listen to its audio pronunciation, review phonetic IPA, and check definitions below.
Linguistic Pronunciation Masterclass: “contumelious”
Phonetic mechanics, syllable architecture, and conversational cadence
Syllable Architecture & Stress Distribution
kahn
Neutral schwa (⁄ə⁄): relaxed jaw, brief unstressed breath.
tuu
Neutral schwa (⁄ə⁄): relaxed jaw, brief unstressed breath.
MEE
Tense long vowel with sustained acoustic resonance.
lee
Neutral schwa (⁄ə⁄): relaxed jaw, brief unstressed breath.
əs
Neutral schwa (⁄ə⁄): relaxed jaw, brief unstressed breath.
Primary emphasis falls on the third syllable ("MEE"). Raise your pitch and sustain the vowel length on this syllable while relaxing the surrounding syllables.
Common Pronunciation Traps & Learner Mistakes
The Trap: Avoid pronouncing every vowel with full acoustic weight. Non-native speakers often over-enunciate unstressed vowels.
How Native Speakers Say It: Only give full vowel clarity to the primary stressed syllable. Relax all unstressed vowels into a neutral, low-energy schwa (⁄ə⁄).
Connected Speech & Natural Conversational Flow
When "contumelious" is followed by a word starting with a vowel, glide the final consonant into the opening vowel (e.g. "contumelious is" sounds like "contumelious-iz").
Maintain the stress-timed rhythm of English: compress unstressed syllables rapidly so the beat of "contumelious" aligns naturally with adjacent words.
Places stress on the syllable directly before "-ious".
Practice Speaking “contumelious”
Listen to native pronunciation, record yourself repeating the sentence into your microphone, and receive real-time word-by-word accuracy scoring.
VVith ſcoffes and ſcornes, and contumelious taunts, / In open Market-place produc't they me, / To be a publique ſpectacle to all: / Here, ſayd they, is the Terror of the French, / The Scar-Crovv that affrights our Children ſo.
Hear it in context: “contumelious”
The English word “contumelious” is transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) as ˌkɑn.tʊˈmiː.li.əs (phonetic respelling: kahn-tuu-MEE-lee-əs). Phonologically, it consists of 5 syllables (kahn · tuu · MEE · lee · əs), with primary lexical stress placed on the 3rd syllable (MEE). Grammatically, “contumelious” functions as a adjective. Hear native speakers say contumelious in context across real video clips
Definition & Meaning: “contumelious”
- Rudely contemptuous; showing contumely; exhibiting an insolent or disdainful attitude.
Example Sentences (1)
- “VVith ſcoffes and ſcornes, and contumelious taunts, / In open Market-place produc't they me, / To be a publique ſpectacle to all: / Here, ſayd they, is the Terror of the French, / The Scar-Crovv that affrights our Children ſo.”
Pronounce: “contumelious”
- Pronunciation:
- kahn-tuu-MEE-lee-əs
- Syllables:
- kahn · tuu · MEE · lee · əs
- Written Hyphenation:
- con · tu · me · li · ous
- Primary stress:
- MEE
- IPA:
- ˌkɑn.tʊˈmiː.li.əs
- Hear it in context
- contumelious
Synonyms: “contumelious”
Hear words related in meaning to “contumelious” in real video clips:
Words that Rhyme with “contumelious”
-iliəsWords that Sound Identical (Homophones)
Unique Sound"contumelious" (⁄ˌkɑn.tʊˈmiː.li.əs⁄) has no true homophones in standard English — there are no other words with identical pronunciation. Unlike sound-alike pairs like there / their or peace / piece, "contumelious" has a completely distinct phonetic identity.
Frequently asked questions about contumelious
How do you pronounce “contumelious”?
“contumelious” is pronounced ⁄ˌkɑn.tʊˈmiː.li.əs⁄ (kahn-tuu-MEE-lee-əs). Listen to the audio pronunciation above to hear it spoken clearly.
How many syllables are in “contumelious”?
“contumelious” has 5 syllables: kahn · tuu · MEE · lee · əs.
Where is the stress in “contumelious”?
The primary stress in “contumelious” is on “MEE”.
What does “contumelious” mean?
Rudely contemptuous; showing contumely; exhibiting an insolent or disdainful attitude.
What is the most common pronunciation mistake when saying “contumelious”?
Avoid pronouncing every vowel with full acoustic weight. Non-native speakers often over-enunciate unstressed vowels. Only give full vowel clarity to the primary stressed syllable. Relax all unstressed vowels into a neutral, low-energy schwa (⁄ə⁄).