How to pronounce "periphrasis" in English
pəˈɹɪfɹəsɪs
pə·RIF·rə·sis
Primary stress: RIF
Hear native speakers say periphrasis in context across real video clips
Linguistic Pronunciation Masterclass: “periphrasis”
Phonetic mechanics, syllable architecture, and conversational cadence
Syllable Architecture & Stress Distribution
pə
Neutral schwa (⁄ə⁄): relaxed jaw, brief unstressed breath.
RIF
Elevated pitch, sustained vowel length, and full acoustic clarity.
rə
Neutral schwa (⁄ə⁄): relaxed jaw, brief unstressed breath.
sis
Neutral schwa (⁄ə⁄): relaxed jaw, brief unstressed breath.
Primary emphasis falls on the second syllable ("RIF"). 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 "periphrasis" is followed by a word starting with a vowel, glide the final consonant into the opening vowel (e.g. "periphrasis is" sounds like "periphrasis-iz").
Maintain the stress-timed rhythm of English: compress unstressed syllables rapidly so the beat of "periphrasis" aligns naturally with adjacent words.
Authentic Spoken Quotes from Native Video Context
“You remember Dante speaks of the sun through a periphrasis, to say that it was hidden, that sinners are hidden and concealed from view in the tongues of fire.”— YaleCoursesWatch clip
“What an extraordinary image, a periphrasis, to talk about the sun, to describe the night, when the sun is hiding, and you'll see the implications”— YaleCoursesWatch clip
Practice Speaking “periphrasis”
Listen to native pronunciation, record yourself repeating the sentence into your microphone, and receive real-time word-by-word accuracy scoring.
You remember Dante speaks of the sun through a periphrasis, to say that it was hidden, that sinners are hidden and concealed from view in the tongues of fire.
Hear it in context: “periphrasis”
2 clipsThe English word “periphrasis” is transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) as pəˈɹɪfɹəsɪs (phonetic respelling: pə-RIF-rə-sis). Phonologically, it consists of 4 syllables (pə · RIF · rə · sis), with primary lexical stress placed on the 2nd syllable (RIF). Grammatically, “periphrasis” functions as a noun. SayItVid indexes 2 authentic English video clips demonstrating how native speakers articulate “periphrasis” in natural connected speech across American (US: 2 sampled), British (UK), and Australian (AUS) accents, including verified broadcasts from YaleCourses.
Spoken Video Transcripts & Contextual Quotes (2 Verified Clips)
- 🇺🇸 USYaleCoursesClip #1 · @21:50
“thievery at the same time, the furtiveness of it all. You remember Dante speaks of the sun through a periphrasis, to say that it was hidden, that sinners are hidden and concealed from view in the tongues of fire. to say that it was hidden, that sinners are hidden and”
- 🇺🇸 USYaleCoursesClip #2 · @50:27
“in the season when he that lights the world least hides his face from us..." What an extraordinary image, a periphrasis, to talk about the sun, to describe the night, when the sun is hiding, and you'll see the implications What an extraordinary image, a periphrasis,”
Definition & Meaning: “periphrasis”
- The use of a longer expression instead of a shorter one with a similar meaning, for example "I am going to" instead of "I will".
- Expressing a grammatical meaning (such as a tense) using a syntactic construction rather than morphological marking.
Example Sentences (3)
- “Near-synonyms: circumlocution, loquaciousness”
- “Language learners sometimes use periphrases like "did go" where a native speaker would use "went".”
- “You remember Dante speaks of the sun through a periphrasis, to say that it was hidden, that sinners are hidden and concealed from view in the tongues of fire.”
Pronounce: “periphrasis”
- Pronunciation:
- pə-RIF-rə-sis
- Syllables:
- pə · RIF · rə · sis
- Written Hyphenation:
- pe · rip · hra · sis
- Primary stress:
- RIF
- IPA:
- pəˈɹɪfɹəsɪs
- Hear it in context
- periphrasis
Synonyms: “periphrasis”
Hear words related in meaning to “periphrasis” in real video clips:
Words that Rhyme with “periphrasis”
-ɪfrəsɪsWords that Sound Identical (Homophones)
Unique Sound"periphrasis" (⁄pəˈɹɪfɹəsɪs⁄) 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, "periphrasis" has a completely distinct phonetic identity.
Frequently asked questions about periphrasis
How do you pronounce “periphrasis”?
“periphrasis” is pronounced ⁄pəˈɹɪfɹəsɪs⁄ (pə-RIF-rə-sis). Listen to the native-speaker clips above to hear it in real conversation.
How many syllables are in “periphrasis”?
“periphrasis” has 4 syllables: pə · RIF · rə · sis.
Where is the stress in “periphrasis”?
The primary stress in “periphrasis” is on “RIF”. Listen for that stressed syllable in the clips above.
What does “periphrasis” mean?
The use of a longer expression instead of a shorter one with a similar meaning, for example "I am going to" instead of "I will".
How can I hear “periphrasis” used in real sentences?
This page has 2 real-world video examples of “periphrasis” with synchronized subtitles. Use Previous / Next (or ← / → keys) to hear each one at the exact moment it is spoken.
What is the most common pronunciation mistake when saying “periphrasis”?
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⁄).