A Hundred is a two-word adjective meaning consisting of or equivalent to the number 100; used to emphasize abundance or completeness in informal speech. It often functions as a scalar intensifier in phrases like “a hundred percent” and in contexts implying near-totality or completeness. In quick speech, it can be realized as a single unit with reduced vowel sounds.
"She won a hundred different prizes at the fair."
"That recipe yields a hundred servings, roughly speaking."
"I have a hundred reasons to stay late tonight."
"They were a hundred percent sure about the plan."
The expression A Hundred originates from the numeric phrase for the value 100 in English. The word hundred traces back to Old English hundert, from Proto-Germanic *hundô, related to Dutch honderd and German hundert, all ultimately from the Proto-Indo-European root *kword- meaning ‘two tens’ or ‘ten times ten,’ though the precise etymology is partly obscured by early numerals. Historically, the term functioned as a quantifier and numeral, used in counting, measurements, and to denote a large, approximate quantity in colloquial speech. Over time, the English language adopted wording like “a hundred” to emphasize completeness or vastness, often with the meaning of “a great deal,” not always exactly 100. In modern usage, “a hundred” is common in idiomatic expressions (e.g., “a hundred percent”) and can serve both literal and figurative intensification. The hiatus between the indefinite article “a” and the numeral helps integrate it into everyday syntax and keeps it flexible in both formal and informal registers. First known written attestations appear in Middle English, with similar constructions in the Scandinavian and Germanic languages that influenced English numerals. The modern form consolidates the spoken reduction into a conventional two-word phrase that remains highly productive in contemporary English.
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Words that rhyme with "A Hundred"
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pronounce it as ə-ˈhən-drəd in US/UK/AU common practice; stress on the second syllable of ‘hundred’. Start with a short schwa for ‘a,’ then a stressed “hund” with /h/ and short /ʌ/ vowel, then a reduced /drəd/ ending where the final d may be lightly released. If linking to a following word beginning with a vowel, you can soften the pause and run the phrase into the next word; in careful speech you’ll hear each word more distinctly: ə HUN-drəd. An audio reference would be in-standard dictionaries for IPA: /əˈhʌndrəd/.
The most frequent errors are: (1) stressing the first syllable instead of the second, which shortchanges the idiomatic emphasis on ‘hundred’; (2) pronouncing the final /d/ too strongly, making it sound like ‘hundredd’; (3) failing to reduce the ‘a’ to a light schwa and singing both words in isolation. To correct: keep a unstressed /ə/ for ‘a,’ place primary stress on ‘hund,’ and lightly release the final /d/ with a quick, muted tail. Practicing with slow, then normal, tempo will help you internalize the rhythm.
In US/UK/AU, the core is /əˈhʌndrəd/, but the exact vowel in the second syllable can shift: US tends to a rounded /ɜː/ in some phonetic environments when connected; UK may have a more clipped /ə/ and less rhoticity in certain dialects, while AU often features a broader, slightly more centralized /ʌ/ and a more open /d/ end. All share the rhotic secondary quality on the /r/ in American speech; in non-rhotic UK variants the /r/ is not pronounced unless followed by a vowel. Listen for the subtle vowel quality differences and the resilient second-stressed syllable.
Two main challenges: (a) syllable-timed rhythm with a light, unstressed ‘a’ followed by a strong stress on ‘hund’; (b) the final syllable /drəd/ blends two consonants with a reduced vowel; many speakers either over-articulate the final /d/ or fail to reduce the middle vowel, making it sound like two separate strong syllables. The combination of a reduced leading sound, a stressed center, and a lightly released ending requires careful pacing and air-flow control to sound natural. IPA cues help you tune this: əˈhʌndrəd and practice with linking.
A practical feature is the soft cohesiveness between syllables in connected speech. When followed by a word beginning with a consonant, you can maintain a tight production: ə-HUN-drəd- + consonant. If followed by a vowel, you may hear a slight linking where the ‘d’ sound can carry into the next word’s initial vowel, creating a subtle bridge: ə hʌn-drəd.vɚr-..., depending on speed. The goal is a smooth, not separate, two-word unit; practice breathing to support continuous speech.
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