{"id":4358,"date":"2021-04-06T10:59:46","date_gmt":"2021-04-06T17:59:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/english-speaking\/?p=4358"},"modified":"2021-04-16T18:47:50","modified_gmt":"2021-04-17T01:47:50","slug":"how-to-pronounce-words-that-end-in-ous","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/english-speaking\/how-to-pronounce-words-that-end-in-ous\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Pronounce Words that End in -OUS"},"content":{"rendered":"

What kind of words in end -ous?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

There are countless adjectives in the English language that end in -ous<\/em>, a suffix that denotes the nature or character of something.\u00a0 The tricky part is knowing how to pronounce words that end in -ous. <\/em>In fact, this is especially true of the following combinations: -ious, eous<\/em>, and –uous<\/em>. Why? We sometimes pronounce the vowel cluster as one blended syllable, as the schwa. In other cases, however, we pronounce the first vowel as a distinct syllable and then follow with the schwa sound<\/a>.\u00a0 We’ll also take a look at where the syllable stress typically falls in these words.<\/p>\n

When to pronounce -ious<\/em>, -eous<\/em> and -uous<\/em>\u00a0as 2 syllables\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n

In the following words, the syllable stress will fall on the syllable just before<\/strong> the -ious\/eous\/uous<\/em> combination. Notice how the first vowel in that combination is pronounced distinctly and then followed by a schwa sound in these words that end in -ous.<\/p>\nhttps:\/\/magoosh.com\/english-speaking\/files\/2-syllable-ous.m4a<\/a><\/audio>\n

Abstemious\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Ambiguous
\nCeremonious\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Conspicuous
\nCourteous\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Glorious
\nHideous\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Impetuous
\nInconspicuous\u00a0 \u00a0 Industrious<\/p>\n

When to pronounce -ious, -eous<\/em> as 1 syllable<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Notice how when i<\/em> follows c, g, t<\/em> or x,<\/em>\u00a0the result is a sh<\/em> sound. \u00a0 You will also notice a few \u201cge<\/em>\u201d combinations below. This ge<\/em> combination results in the g<\/em> producing a \u201csoft\u201d sound \/\u02a4\/. (A g<\/em> must be followed by e<\/em>, i<\/em> or y <\/em>to produce this soft sound). \u00a0 The stress in the following words falls on the syllable before the consonant + ious\/eous<\/em> combination.<\/p>\nhttps:\/\/magoosh.com\/english-speaking\/files\/1-syllable-ous.m4a<\/a><\/audio>\n

Ambitious\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Malicious
\nAnxious\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Advantageous
\nCautious\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Courageous
\nContagious\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Judicious
\nDelicious\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Righteous<\/p>\n

All about schwa in words that end in -ous<\/h2>\n

We mentioned how words that end in -ous all end in the schwa<\/em> + s<\/em> sound. To work on that schwa sound more specifically, check out this video to get some tips on its exact pronunciation.<\/p>\n